We need balance on water
Alan Crowe’s response to my letter about the dry Ashley River/Rakahuri was no surprise (March 8).
Alan called on me last year to share his views. He is a successful dairy farmer, strong irrigation advocate, and supporter of ECan’s management style.
His letter says he remembers the Ashley drying up in pre-irrigation times. Of course any rain-fed river can dry up during severe drought. But should riverside irrigation continue when the river is dry? Alan says yes, otherwise the water is “lost unseen to the sea”.
His view is reminiscent of the catchcry coined by 1930s Minister of Works Bob Semple, who said: “Water not being harnessed for irrigation or hydroelectricity is water running to waste.”
Surely such thinking is past its useby date. Water management needs to be balanced. Irrigation needs to be sustainable. And ECan needs to keep its promises to take the lead on this.
Bill Horsley, Rangiora
Restructuring again
The council has had a bit of a restructure at management level with now nine in the executive leaders team. I would have thought that any restructure would be the role of the new CEO.
A few years back Jane Parfitt, as acting CEO had a restructure of management staff. Dawn Baxendale was duly appointed and immediately set about dismantling Parfitt’s handiwork and a number of newly appointed executives lost their jobs.
No doubt the new CEO will have their own idea as to what forms an effective team and will wish to stamp their authority.
Voila! Another restructure will be looming.
The staff below the sixth floor deserve much better!
Red Sapwell, Amberley
Tax them too
Recent correspondents D Griffiths (Letters, March 5) and Paul Sintes (March 8) have fallen victim to the illusory truth effect, in that they believe cyclists don’t pay for roading infrastructure.
They fail to understand that revenue for our roading system is gathered from: taxpayers, ratepayers, and those who do the most damage.
If cyclists were to be levied in addition to the tax and rates they already pay, then a fair and equitable system would also require the following roadway users to pay a levy:
Car passengers, pedestrians, scooter riders, pram pushers, wheelchair users, mobility scooter drivers, runners, dog walkers, horse riders, drovers, mail deliverers, rollerbladers, the homeless, beggars, roadside advertisers, utility companies, street marchers.
Given that Paul Sintes wants everyone who uses a public road to contribute, I invite him to add any omissions to the list. He could also explain how this extra contribution would be collected and how non-contribution will be policed.
A Judd, Redwood
No shame
Has this Government no shame? It is putting up the cost of car registration a massive 50c a week. That means I shall have to forgo one flat white every two months to pay for it. How will I survive?
And it is proposing to continue the Labour government's intention of reviewing the school lunch programme because 1000 lunches a day were being thrown away.
Let me work that out for you - 1000 lunches, five days a week, for 40 school weeks at, let’s say $1 a meal. We are throwing away $200,000 a year. And some of you think that is acceptable?
There are so many huge issues in the world right now that it seems somewhat petty to argue over 50c and a proposed cost saving.
Try sweating the big stuff.
Stuart L Bryant, Woolston
True colours
The current chaotic coalition hasn’t taken that long to show its true colours, has it? Pure arrogance on the part of the respective leaders and those lower down the pecking order.
Entitlements (theirs, of course); denigration of workers doing their jobs (news reporters); refusal to front up to said reporters; smoking laws to be repealed (statistics already show that most of New Zealand agreed with the previous laws); gun laws to be amended to allow semiautomatics into private hands (what sporting code uses these?); more roads leading to more cars leading to more pollution leading to worse climate change conditions; free school lunches to be cut back.
Now we are being told that, because of the deals which were made in order to form a government, they now have to do research on the new proposals: something they complained about with the previous government. This should have been done before the election.
I believe the time has come for political parties to be up front before elections on what parts of their manifestos they are prepared to back or tone down on in order to form a government.
This would give the voting public better information before making their voting decisions. No-one can say with any honesty that the current policies are what the majority voted for.
Eric Driver, Blenheim
School lunches
Rather than tossing the baby out with the bath water over the school lunch “wastage”, perhaps Mr Seymour could arrange for better management of the numbers made to match the numbers needed, plus having a percentage of lunches prepared in a pre-packed preserved form that can be held for tomorrow if not needed today, or retained for unexpected extras.
Clearly fresh is preferable but don’t let perfect get in the way of adequate. They would be better than nothing. Unless the decision is purely to save money and “La la la I can’t hear you” to evidential claims that full tummies ensure better education.
Ian Orchard, Papanui