Coronation May 6th

More than 8,000 guests attended Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, but Westminster Abbey had to be closed for five months to allow extra seating to be built.

Its normal capacity is about 2,200 and it seems likely that this will be the maximum number this time.

Which crown will Charles wear?

The King will be crowned with the solid gold 17th Century St Edward’s Crown. It is exceptionally heavy and only used at the moment of crowning and was also worn by Queen Elizabeth at her own coronation.

The Gemstone debate

Since the Queen’s death there has been renewed debate about the way in which some royal gemstones were obtained by the British empire.

Much of the controversy centres around diamonds found in two of the crowns.

One is the Imperial State Crown, which the monarch will put on towards the end of the coronation ceremony, and which he will also wear when he appears on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

That crown contains the Cullinan II diamond, sometimes called the Second Star of Africa. It was given to Edward VII on his 66th birthday by the government of the Transvaal - a former British crown colony - in what is now South Africa.

It is not known whether the Queen will wear the Queen Mother’s coronation crown, which contains another controversial diamond, the Koh-I-Noor.

It is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, and India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran have all made claims to it.

How much will the coronation cost?

As a state occasion, the coronation will be paid for by the UK government.

While it is likely to come under pressure to show sensitivity to the current cost-of-living crisis, the government is expected to use the ceremony as an important diplomatic opportunity to present the UK to the world.

Be careful who you vote for

I am writing in response to Carl Bates’ opinion piece entitled “Govt spending up as prices bite”.

Yes I am spending an unprecedented amount at the grocery store. He blames the entire problem on spending by Labour. Here are the issues

1. Tax: I work as a teacher, I pay taxes on my salary as well as the income I receive from my enterprises outside of school. My taxes then pay for the roads that get me to school, not to mention all the costs incurred by the school, including my pay. In 2021, I was at Whanganui Collegiate School. Many of the students I encountered were from farming families. Their parents were able to spend $40,000 a year for their education, as most of them boarded at the school. Some of them had siblings who attended as well. I find it hard to sympathise when National talks about the “plight of the farmers” when many of them are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to send their children to private boarding schools.

2. Reducing regulations: During the last National government, New Zealand became the sixth most expensive housing market in the world. Wages didn’t keep up. Now we have a housing crisis due to the deregulations in the housing market. They deregulated the farming industry causing rampant pollution and damage to our environment. The idea that business will regulate itself is foolish. Given the opportunity, the business sector will opt to get more for themselves.

It seems that National is a “onetrick pony”. They are trying to sell New Zealanders on the idea that everything can be fixed if we just cut taxes, which has no bearing on lowincome earners, but greatly benefits the wealthy. Chris Luxon will benefit by $18,000-$20,000, while the woman Carl spoke to is on a benefit, and doesn’t pay taxes so the tax cuts won’t change her income. The last time National cut taxes, it raised GST, which everyone felt.

When you vote this year you must consider who will really benefit from each party’s policies.

Rick Baum Whanganui