Grinding on

One must admire the dedication to public service of the Canterbury Regional Council (aka Environment Canterbury).

In these testing times CRC finds time to respond to complaints from nameless individuals concerning the presence of ‘‘unwanted organisms’’ on condemned properties. This is at a time when other parts of the Government and insurers involved with the consequences of the earthquakes are taking time to get round to finalising authority for demolition of buildings on sites condemned some months ago.

In this instance, the two apartments on the site have long been abandoned and had become a hang-out for rather dodgy characters until we arranged to have them boarded up.

If only the powers-that-be could speed up implementation of decisions already made, the buildings would have been demolished, the site cleared and handed over to the council as part of a park.

Meanwhile, inspectors call and sales of RoundUp increase.

Are the CCC and CRC capable of joined-up management? Meanwhile, bureaucracy grinds mindlessly on.

NICHOLAS SIBLEY La Colle sur Loup, France Christchurch are rapidly becoming a national farce, driven by individual egos and flawed ambitions.

Every ratepayer, taxpayer and business owner is making a significant financial contribution to the support and rebuild of Christchurch, a fact that most people in this city don’t seem to understand or appreciate.

On this basis alone the Government has every right to represent all New Zealanders and question the Christchurch City Council as to the most efficient use of our assets and resources and to minimise the financial and social impact across the country.

No matter what your political persuasion, that is fair and sound fiscal management by a government, and it is the responsibility of our council and the people of Christchurch to consider professionally and respond accordingly.

As a city, we own $2.3 billion of so-called strategic assets with net equity of $1.3b. The council receives an annual dividend of only $38m from these investments, or the equivalent of 2.9 per cent return on equity invested.

The question is, do we need to own Red buses, City-Care trucks, forestry and dairy farms if we don’t have a city, or is it our expectation that the New Zealand taxpayer will provide our future? BERNIE LAGAN

Fendalton preparing children for life. Schools taught survival skills and monitored health.

As politicians have pursued the fantasies of the free market, things have changed.

We now face problems of bingedrinking, family violence and child abuse, health budget blowouts, charges for education, increasing gambling problems. Now market forces want to sell the assets that made this country great.

The few rich are getting richer without suffering consequences for collapsing the economy. The poor have got poorer.

There was something good about having a concept of public servants. If we had had public servants we might have provided by now shelter and warmth for everyone in the city rather than fretting over the CBD’s demolitions. COLIN JAMIESON

Cass Bay