Forget ego-projects and put lives first

I refer to Monday’s article from Chris Leitch, “Wish List funding”. I guess he is correct regarding his question “where the money for roading comes from” and do we have it.

However, I strongly think it is not so much a point “where” the money comes from, but “do we need it and do some leaders want it”? Obviously, most sensible people want our fourlane highway to Whanga¯ rei. But the Government doesn’t seem to see (or wish to see) the urgency.

Too many die on this stretch of road and many (forgotten) injured people are suffering in silence due to accidents on this road.

The Government seems more interested in prestige projects like Auckland’s $10 billion modern tramway rail package. Five times the cost of our four-lane highway to Whanga¯ rei! It’s a shame Labour and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff are pushing more and more to boost their selfish ego-projects at the cost of lives!

John Christenhusz

Whangarei

Parents, do your job

Lately there has been considerable press coverage on youth offending and classroom chaos — suggesting that life lessons are the responsibility of schools — in other words, teachers become substitute parents. Whatever happened to parental responsibility?

While I was in the police we received a copy of the report of a special committee set up to investigate juvenile delinquency, commissioned by the Government in 1954, listing their recommendations.

To compare 1954 with today’s youth offending is an absurdity but nevertheless had the committee’s advocacy been permanently enacted into the justice system and not undermined by political correctness gone mad, today’s offending might not have got so out of control. Perhaps some parents would not have so easily abrogated their responsibilities.

Briefly, the committee advocated that:

● When young offenders are summoned to court, the attendance of parents/guardians be compulsory.

● Courts to have the power to require parents/guardians of offenders be liable to pay fines/ restitution/costs and give security for future good behaviour.

● It is a parent’s responsibility to teach their children not to steal, assault others, take drugs — and that there are consequences for their actions.

Even back in 1954 it was noted that some parents showed a deplorable lack of concern for their children’s upbringing, expecting schools to accept that role.

Today’s teachers are seriously overloaded trying to control behaviour as well as teaching the three “r’s”. They bear the brunt of youth violence with restrictive measures to impose “consequences”.

The adage “when you make a poor decision which adversely affects others, you must accept the consequences” should be instilled in a home environment.

M. Larcombe

Opua

Fishing rights and wrongs

Marie Kaire’s letter of 22/12/18 clearly states “Ma¯ ori fishing rights” in inshore bays and gulfs, her letter of 2/1/19 concedes there may be none; I will leave it to readers to decide if the former letter was mischievous or not.

A Marae trustee chairperson is authorised to issue permits to gather protected seafood for funerals or those terminally ill etc, however the recipients of these seafoods are not confined to race, so again this is not a “Ma¯ ori fishing right”.

Her opinion that most people of Ma¯ ori descent wish to protect our fisheries is commendable, however it is my opinion that most New Zealanders do so as well.

There seems to be a common condescending and indeed racist belief that Ma¯ ori somehow are natural conservationists, however there is no gene for conservation.

I don’t know who the “we” are in

Marie’s letter of 2/1/19 who impel over-zealous seafood gatherers to return excessive shellfish to the beds, I hope that “we” are authorised officers and not a vigilante group? If it is the latter, this is a foreboding example of what could happen to curb even legit fishers should tribal claims to our beaches be successful.

Geoff Parker

Whangarei