The week in good news
Philip Matthews looks on the bright side.
Ato look. ustralia is on fire and Venice is underwater. But there is good news in the world, if you know where
Choose life?
There is a strong argument for expecting the politicians we vote for and pay well to answer the big questions about things like drugs, flags and the end of life. But there is another argument, also persuasive, that says some important moral questions – okay, not flags – should be handed back to the public rather than its elected representatives. Euthanasia is a really knotty one. It’s an issue that doesn’t fall along party lines or neat left-right definitions; it touches on religion, ethics and personal choice. So it is probably good news that the people get to have their say, thanks to the tireless efforts of Act MP David Seymour. His End of Life Choice Bill passed its third reading in
Parliament and will go to a referendum in 2020, which is a condition NZ First insisted on. Expect fireworks and fun times next year. Here’s opponent Maggie Barry: ‘‘We are involved in a major war to tell the people of New Zealand what this might mean for the vulnerable, for the disabled, for those who fear for their lives. We lost a battle and now it has escalated. We will not give up.’’
The arts in Christchurch
It was a good week for arts lovers and thinkers in Christchurch. Author Zadie Smith came to town and dazzled a sold-out audience at the James Hay Theatre. And one of the world’s greatest cellists, Yo-Yo Ma, played the Town Hall and then teamed up with local singer Marlon Williams and others for a free riverside concert on Wednesday. The river was the venue for Waiata ki te wai, or Songs for Water. Water has always been home to Ma, he said: ‘‘Whether it has been the Yongjiang River in my father’s hometown of Ningbo [in China], the Seine in Paris where I was born, or the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I now live.’’ He added: ‘‘This is a great community that is, through its very hard work and commitment and love for one another, building a stronger and more resilient community.’’
Just say hoiho
It’s everyone’s favourite election. The hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguin, nabbed the Bird of the Year contest, becoming the first seabird to win the prestigious competition since it launched 14 years ago. It was a close-run thing. Forest & Bird spokesperson Megan Hubscher said the hoiho and the mighty ka¯ ka¯ po¯ were neck and neck – do birds even have necks? – for most of the two-week voting period, before the penguin edged ahead. The word ‘‘hoiho’’ apparently means noisy. They are also in trouble, as the Bird of the Year website says: ‘‘Their numbers have been heading downhill for 30 years, and this year, only 165 nests were located. Forest & Bird and many other groups are working hard to help our noisy penguins. Seabirds have to deal with introduced predators like rats, stoats, cats and dogs on land, while at sea they get caught in fishing nets, and now warming oceans mean they have to swim further to catch a good feed for their chicks.’’
Going unextinct
Some good news from the world of nature: the Vietnamese mousedeer, thought to be extinct for nearly 30 years, was recently caught on camera. Interestingly, the creature is neither a mouse nor a deer, but just looks a bit like a mix of the two and weighs in at less than 4.5 kilograms. The world’s smallest hoofed animal, it is also known as the silver-backed chevrotain. Vietnamese biologist An Nguyen said: ‘‘For those of us living in Vietnam and working in wildlife conservation, the question of whether the chevrotain was still out there and if so, where, has been nagging us for years. For so long this species has seemingly only existed as part of our imagination.’’
Walking the talk
In transport news, a Christchurch City Council survey that questioned 3500 people in July and August found that we are walking and biking more. Council Monitoring and Research Team Leader Kath Jamieson said: ‘‘The proportion of people who say they are using their car less now compared to
12 months ago is 27 per cent – up from 19 per cent in 2018. More than
40 per cent of respondents say they bike more often now than they did a year ago while 21 per cent say they walk more often.’’ There are also small increases in public transport use. The bad news: we still have poor quality roads.