City well served by Circa

Congratulations on the feature celebrating the 40th anniversary of Circa Theatre (May 23).

Wow – is it such a long time? I remember, I think, that the early seats were planks of wood on bricks. Yes, it was primitive and uncomfortable but so exciting.

As Ginette McDonald describes, it was easy to get involved in the performance. The drama was, and still is, ‘‘in your face’’.

The other night I was glad that

No city in the world has solved congestion by building more roads. All that does is induce more vehicular traffic and create yet more insatiable demand.

The first step in solving a city’s transport problems is a sound land-use plan. We already have the ‘‘Wellington Urban Growth Plan 2014-43’’.

It encourages a quality compact urban form, with intensive apartment development becoming increasingly popular in the city centre. It’s been called ‘‘density done well’’.

Encouraging growth in suburban centres, around transport nodes, increases patronage and supports investment in the frequency and reliability of public transport.

The result is an efficient public transport network, which offers an swords had been put aside for the present performance of .I cowered in the front seats lest I should become a victim of some of the on-stage wrath.

Circa introduced to Wellington an incredibly new and exciting theatre.

The commitment and dedication of the founders, the actors, the front of house and the backstage were immeasurable and inspirational. Their well-deserved success is wonderful and all of Wellington attractive alternative to people to leave their cars at home or in ‘‘park and ride’’ facilities.

Wellington City has the highest proportion of people in the country who get to work by public transport, on foot or by bike. It is prioritising investment in each of these, and improving the road network.

Integration of urban design and transport is at the heart of Wellington’s future as a vibrant, liveable city and region. should congratulate them.

For those who have not been yet, try to see the current performance of starring the magnificent Ray Henwood (how lucky we are to have him). It is utterly mind-boggling in terms of energy, pace and drama. But maybe sit at least one row back. Karori [abridged]

It is pleasing to note that John McLellan was among many graduates who relished a proud moment (Letters, May 23).

I share John’s view on the importance of te reo Maori and of people doing their best to speak the language well and pronounce it correctly.

Research at Victoria by Professor Rawinia Higgins makes clear that te reo is under threat, and normalising the use of the language is one of the best ways to revitalise it in New Zealand.

It is puzzling to see Victoria’s vice-chancellor included in John’s criticism of pronunciation at graduation as the vice-chancellor did not speak te reo at John’s ceremony.

However, the commitment of our vice-chancellor and chancellor to tangata whenua was evident