Change the climate in classroom

Mindless prattle. Climate change, climate change, and so on until the end of time (Please miss, what’s climate change? June 28). Instead, teach cosmology, atmospheric physics, earth sciences, meteorology, geography and forces that produce climate and drive weather patterns.

No, it’s just climate change, plastic bags and turtles without any specifics or reasoned argument. Then, children will apparently use an ‘‘inquiry model’’ allowing them to be ‘‘self-directed’’ and ‘‘choose a focus’’.

Unfortunately the focus, taken from the internet most likely, could be misleading, selective or wrong, and how are these budding climate activists, or climate trekkies as I term them, going to know what is right or wrong, or will all facts be considered subjective and bent to fit the dogma in each little brain?

In fact, The Little Things cartoon of the same date exemplifies the shallowness of thought behind climate activists: two parents on a ‘‘save the planet’’ march with a toddler suggest having an icecream, with no apparent idea of what goes to make the product, the main dairy ingredient coming from a farming system continually excoriated as an environmental nuisance. Or were the cartoonists actually trying to make a point? I think not.

Allen Heath, Woburn

Start with fewer roads

So the Hutt City Council has joined in declaring a climate crisis. ‘‘We have to do better,’’ says mayor Ray Wallace.

That in the same week when Mr Wallace said that he is willing to commit millions of ratepayers’ money to fix the Melling interchange, essentially to get more cars into the city more easily. And only a couple of weeks ago he advocated for adding another lane to SH2.

Perhaps he has a case of logic crisis? Does he not understand the simple fact that all those cars just keep adding to the climate problem and that worldwide cities have a sustainability crisis with too many cars on its roads?

Mr Wallace and his councillors need to instead urgently follow Wellington’s lead in reducing car parking and spend money on good infrastructure for public and active transport.

He may even find that the Government will be willing to help fund smarter transport options like creating a light rail Email: letters@dompost.co.nz

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option that connects Melling with the CBD, and Wainuiomata with the main railway spine.

Ron Beernink, Petone

Mayor deserves backing

For a businessman, the attack by underachieving, former Porirua city councillor Euon Murrell on new mayor Mike Tana (Time to stop hiding behind council officials, June 25) is extraordinarily irresponsible.

Murrell holds Tana responsible for a Pandora’s box of historical financial failures which have become known now only because of Tana’s openness and integrity.

It was the business-as-usual council of Murrell, Ken Douglas and others under the dangerously youthful mayor Nick Leggett that voted for super-city amalgamation of Porirua with Wellington in the last triennium. Without it, Porirua was to become bankrupt in five years.

Now, five years on, the city is not bankrupt under the steady hand of our accomplished mayor. But the unenviable task of cleaning up the legacy of the Leggett/Murrell era continues.

For Porirua city to grow and prosper it needs its new mayor with the mana of Tana and to be rid of the division promoted by its political failures of the past.

Graeme Ebbett, chairman Titahi Bay Residents Assn Inc

Less than capital service

I empathise with Rio Rossellini, who fell foul of our Airport Flyer bus service to and from our airport (Letters, June 28).

Based on my extensive experience of this bus service (thank you Mr Peters!) I can assure him, unfortunately, that his experience was a glimpse of reality.

The only way in which he struck it unlucky was his interaction with the driver; most of them are very helpful and courteous, he just got one of the very few who aren’t. I have written to Phil Twyford and the regional council and have been told that the Flyer is an ‘‘exempt’’ service which means that NZ Bus can do as it likes, and that NZ Bus is owned by the same company that partly owns the airport.

This company decides which bus service can enter the airport.

My experiences of this service have at times been unacceptable. To subject our visitors to this ‘‘service’’ amounts to absolute rudeness.

This really must be sorted out, and for the Government and the GWRC to say that their hands are tied by this being an ‘‘exempt’’ service just tells me that Mr Twyford and our regional councillors don’t use it.

Norman Wilkins, Petone

Shooters now pariahs

I have been a firearms licence holder for most of my life and have been involved in shooting sports at all levels, including being on the executive of the NZ Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association. But I know that my social opinion stands for little as a result of recent events.

Shooters have become pariahs and

Paul Matthews makes good points (Letters, June 26). Arms and ammunition dealers are regarded by many as an enigma and there is no threat quite as sinister as a veiled threat crudely disguised as something else.

Some individuals ought to be watched and doubtless the appropriate authorities will not be slow to spot it.

Gary Lewis, Lower Hutt

Councillors don’t rate

Hidden away in the Greater Wellington Regional Council’s reports is their rates rise of 9.5 per cent for the badly busstrapped residents of Wellington City.

This increase contrasts with the 1.9 per cent rise for Porirua, which supplies the chairperson of the committee most responsible for depriving Wellingtonians of any reasonable value from that particular council.

The removal of seats in most Karori buses in order to increase capacity by squeezing in standing passengers was one example of how we have been treated by the regional council.

The part played by our local councillors in such transfers of services away from Wellington city should be the focus of our attention in the October elections — if any of them dare to stand again.

Michael Gibson, Northland

Thanks, but no thanks

How disingenuous of Judith Collins to offer to help Phil Twyford with the housing crisis. As I recall her party’s most memorable contribution to homelessness was to find a bogus meth test rationale for adding to it.

Julie Burns, Waikanae