Get ready for the future of technology
The recent Southland Times article reminds me of a magazine cartoon I saw some years ago.
Picture, if you will, the seated passengers in a long-haul aircraft suddenly gawping up as an announcement is made over the PA system soon after takeoff . . .
‘‘Good morning, and welcome to the world’s first ever fully automated international flight. There are no human crew members aboard at all, but our service-robots will be around soon with refreshments. Please do not fret because nothing at all can possibly go wrong, go wrong, go wrong, go wrong, go wrong, go wrong, go wrong, go wrong, go wrong . . . ’’
Driverless vehicles?
John Hunter
Euthanasia Bill debate
Instead of criticising me for living ‘‘in an alternative reality uninhabited by politicians’’, Dianne Cooper needs to develop some basic understanding of the legislative process.
Then she will not fail to realise the dangers of David Seymour’s euthanasia bill.
Beginning with a close reading of the bill itself, Cooper needs to keep a close look-out for clauses likely to cause difficulty for those interpreting the bill. These are not difficult to find.
The two main criteria for persons applying for assisted dying are both open to wide abuse.
Terminal illness likely to cause death within six months is subject to medical error in both diagnosis and prognosis, neither of which is an exact science.
Then there is the minefield of a ‘‘grievous and irremediable condition’’.
This is not a medical term, nor is it defined in the bill. Perhaps, as in overseas cases, tinnitus in the ears or just being depressed and lonely might be considered to fit this criterion.
But the problems do not end with the wording of the bill itself.
Contrary to Cooper’s pronouncement that ‘‘there cannot be any change to the legislation unless by Parliament’’, there are various ways in which the impact of a law can be altered or extended without further legislation.
One is when public perceptions shift over time; another is when court challenges result in an extended interpretation.
David Seymour has already admitted publicly that court cases would undoubtedly follow legislation.
Melissa Hardy
Condolences
I would to pass on my sincere condolences to the family, Southland sporting fraternity and business sector in the passing of Tom O’Connor. Our family have known Tom for a very long time through his involvement in boxing in which he had a lifetime link.
Tom was a part of Boxing New Zealand executive and many, many years on the executive of the Southland Boxing Association.
Tom was a guiding light and mentor to many people in boxing and will be surely missed by many.
Thank you Tom for everything that you have done for boxing in Southland and in New Zealand and you will be surely missed by everyone that met you.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Shelley and family at this sad time. God Bless you all.
Denny Enright
When you’re planning ahead, it’s necessary to have all the information you need at your fingertips.
This is true of everything from planning how to get through a day to mapping out a bright future for the place we call home.
With the latter in mind, it’s disappointing to reflect on the fact census 2018 data will not be available until March 2019.
A census is done every five years and is the official count of how many people and dwellings there are in New Zealand.
Stats NZ says it always takes time to analyse and produce the dataset, but this time, they are taking longer than usual because the overall individual response was lower than they had aimed for.
An independent review of census 2018 – which people were encouraged to complete online – is now being done to find out why it had the lowest participation rate of any census in the past 50 years.
Southland is a big geographic area with a fairly unique spread of communities offering many, many opportunities, but some sharp challenges as well.
Not knowing exactly how many people live in our patch is particularly unhelpful.
As several of our councillors have pointed out, using five-yearold data in long-term planning inhibits our ability to respond to some of the challenges our district faces.
Forecasting can only do so much – and I suspect our district’s population might have jumped up more than we think on the back of a reasonably strong Southland economy during the past few years.
Our rural communities have been bolstered with migrants to New Zealand who are making a huge contribution to our vital primary industries and our communities.
However, it is increasingly obvious that our labour-force challenges are becoming more of a headache for employers.
Fortunately, this is where our council has been proactive in having our ears to the ground to ensure we know as much as we possibly can about what’s happening around the district.
Not knowing exactly how many people live in our patch is particularly unhelpful.
Planning is all about time frames and I accept it could have been tight trying to fit the census 2018 figures into our long-term plan deliberations, However, we need to have confidence that the census process is robust and reliable.
We have our own critics when it comes to perceptions around planning for the future and we’re by no means perfect – but we ensure (and legislation normally dictates we must) our processes are robust.
The one saving grace is that every region is in the same boat when it comes to planning around the census 2018 delays.
One key issue where up-to-date data is crucial is planning for water infrastructure needs around the district.
We have a great water team here in Southland and they do a fantastic job ensuring we all have clean water to drink.
The Government is considering changes to how water services are supplied, and while we believe we are well served at the moment – in Southland at least – we urge those in Wellington making the decisions to do so as quickly as possible.
To do our job in local government we need good data and certainty around what our role is – that way we can plan for a brighter future in Southland.