Carnage is why trucks targeted

I think David Aitkens' comment missed one significant point when comparing the various options for freight transport.

I believe the will to get freight off the roads is driven by those who understand the carnage his trucks are creating when they are involved in accidents. Whether it is the fault of the other driving party is irrelevant when deaths and serious injury are the end result.

The statistics are not easy to find but I have had personal experience and see too many truck-out-of-control situations to believe it is always the other party at fault. These accidents carry a financial cost that should also be considered. Neil Fuller, Whitford

Protection was idea

I am intrigued to learn that once again Vincent O’Malley is applying his special brand of historical research in an attempt to unseat John Logan Campbell as the father of Auckland.

Ngati Whatua, led by Te Kawau, was merely the last of a number of tribes that occupied the place we now call Auckland. In the 150 years before 1840 the area changed hands a number of times. As late as 1827 the French explorer D’Urville was surprised to find the place virtually empty.

When Te Kawau and other chiefs approached Hobson to set up the capital in Auckland he did so as insurance. It could be claimed that what O’Malley suggests was an invitation to Hobson, could be better explained as a plea. Protection was his objective. Murray Reid, Tuakau

Auckland’s father

Who was the father of Auckland? Having read the work of Russell Stone (for whom I have enormous respect) among others, I sensed that, initially at least, Logan Campbell would rather have lived in the old world but came back to protect his business interests. He did come to like the place and was a generous benefactor to the city, even if he didn’t much like making the beer that sustained his personal economy. But then he came here as a speculator only because William Hobson decided, on advice, to move the capital to the Waitemata. So should we call Hobson the grandfather of Auckland? It’s true he was invited, mainly for protection, by local Maori, so maybe Hobson should be Auckland’s great uncle. But wait, there’s more! My understanding is that before the musket wars of the 1820s, the isthmus was prosperous and populous, almost urban in its active life. So where do these Maori fit into the city's family tree? It’s great argument and a lot of fun, meaningless in many ways, but it does generate a rich feeling of belonging to this place. Gordon McLauchlan, Auckland Central

Shady deals

Before Dr Vincent O'Malley gets carried away with political correctness, I suggest he reads John Logan Campbell's Poenamo. Campbell and William Webster walked from Orakei to Mangere prior to Auckland being settled, seeking to buy the land on the north-facing slope of Remuera (Mt Hobson). Wisely Chief Apihai Te Kawau refused, because it was their growing land, and offered the land where Auckland's CBD stands today.

Whatever the government paid for the land, and the criminal prices they on-sold it, mostly to their cronies, one wonders how much of the government's profit was spent on the 500-dozen bottles of wine found in the government house cellar after Governor Shortland's departure in 1843. It seems from the outset Auckland's governance was tainted with shady deals. Clark James, New Lynn

Help lacking

How is it that in this country we read stories such as that of Sarah Cato who is in a life-threatening situation and unable to get the help she needs, and especially all the more considering the work that she does in assisting the community. It’s all the more galling when you see overweight politicians lining up for gastric bypass surgery that costs many thousands for a case that was self-inflicted. Those very people should get out there and get people like Sarah help without forcing them to beg for it. People like her deserve to be looked after. Paul Beck, West Harbour

Rethink planning

The last thing Auckland needs is a gigantic sports stadium smack bang in the heart of a CBD already groaning under the strain of heavily congested arterial roads, and a rail network that suffers from perpetual delays, breakdowns, and often struggles to cope with major sporting and cultural events outside the CBD.

The waterfront has largely been butchered in recent decades, with sun blocking, view-taking high rise apartment blocks, container wharfs handling more containers and cars, and fast food outlets and petrol stations on Tamaki Drive.

Culturally sophisticated cities have a profound respect for their architectural history, vibrant art galleries, performing arts centres, and sports facilities placed in tasteful, environmentally sensitive, well thought through locations.

Get the balance right with facility planning and location, and a city can thrive. Get it wrong, and we can be left with costly infrastructural nightmares. It's time for an overhaul of local and central government planning laws and processes. Sam Clements, Hauraki

Light-rail vultures

Vulture capitalists are hovering over “light-rail” proposals everywhere. If the government can “guarantee the return”, the vulture capitalists will “provide the investment capital”. But in every case the light rail system absolutely depends on subsidies from the public’s tax money.

The extent of the subsidies depends on how wrong the initial projections for ridership, revenue and costs were. These systems never cover their operating costs with fare revenue and there should be penalties for “experts” who provide forecasts that suggest they do. Metaanalyses of light rail projects around the world are grim reading. Subsidy cost overruns of 100 per cent are almost ubiquitous. Meanwhile any private sector “investors” merrily gather their guaranteed return, at the expense of the hapless taxpaying public who are picking up the tab for “whatever”.

Do we have any politicians with integrity who will actually make a crusade out of the realities on this issue, in the interests of the swindled public? Philip G Hayward, Lower Hutt

Downtown stadium

Brent Marshall said if a stadium was built somewhere near the waterfront it could only be accessed from the west, and that Eden Park had far better access. He is wrong on both counts. The downtown stadium will be near to the transport hubs for the trains from west, south and east, ferries from north, west and east, buses from all directions, and motorways from all over Auckland. Also, many patrons will be within walking distance of bars and their hotel. And of course the new central underground rail loop will enable patrons to get around central Auckland. The accessibility of a downtown stadium will be far superior to Eden Park . David Mairs, Glendowie

Bullocks, much?

One agrees with Rachel Stewart in pondering the official response to her column on the M. Bovis crisis. Was it purely a case of Rachel discrimination? Or were they talking a load of bullocks? Dean Donoghue, Papamoa Beach

PM heartens

How promising it is to have our Prime Minister speaking up for the arts, highlighting their important role in the lives of young people. As a drama educator and arts based researcher, I have been exploring what students feel about their involvement in the arts, particularly in school productions. Aside from the skills they develop, including confidence, creativity, communication and collaboration, it is the sense of friendship and community they relish. While there may be a lack of artists in schools, there are many highly qualified arts teachers providing professional training and opportunities for young people. Teachers giving students their first taste of the arts.

Perhaps with our Prime Minister behind us, the arts in schools can be recognised as being just as important as STEM subjects offering valid career possibilities. Jane Luton , Howick

Theatre overlooked

Good on Brian Rudman. While Phil Goff spends about $1 million of ratepayer money on consultants for his dream stadium, the St James Theatre has languished since 2007. This cultural treasure would be used far more than a stadium and restored for a fraction of the cost. Philistine bureaucrats and politicians must recognise Aucklanders value the arts as much as, if not more than, sports. Geoff Barlow, Remuera