Letters: State Highway 2, MMP, TECT cheque, politics

State Highway 2 is now the most dangerous in the country, a reader says.

Highway upgrade needed

The recently acquired orange, flexible road skittles that are at the approaches to the intersection of SH2 and Omokoroa Rd have been well played with by motorists as many of them have been struck out into the long grass at the side of the road. It is obvious that this quick-fix safety plan has failed.

This state highway is now the most dangerous in the country. Lowering the speed limit will not help as this road is unsafe at any speed. If these deaths and accidents had happened in the workplace this road would be closed immediately by government departments until it was made safe.

As a large number of commercial vehicles use this road there must have been injuries to employees on this highway. Should this road be closed until it is made safe?

The only permanent solution is to fast-track a four-lane state highway.

Michael Galloway
Omokoroa

MMP - a rotten system

Oh the joys of MMP - Germany also has this rotten system.

The Conservative Party of Angela Merkel gained more votes than others in the September elections, and to finally form a coalition with the left of centre SPD, which gained
20.5 per cent, she had to concede three vital ministerial posts.

Other political parties, including the far right, were not politically acceptable.

However, the Christian Democrats are feeling the same way at present, as National
Party members do in New Zealand.

Winston Peters is currently playing the gracious host to Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

They will be looking to co-operate on the Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement's hardly modified replacement and the stunning success of the joint Anzac training mission in Iraq.

He railed against former politicians being appointed to diplomatic posts but guess where Dame Annette King is going - tipped to be New Zealand's High Commissioner in Canberra.

Peters alleges there is too much friction in Australia/NZ relations, but this is all the making of the coalition Government. Australia resented New Zealand's interference in the management of refugees, who arrive through people smuggling, rather than through the normal intake of approved refugees.

Where is the credibility of Peters? No wonder [NZ First's] support has dropped to
3.8 per cent.

Ann Owen
Katikati

Treaty a partnership

The repeated claim by Bruce Moon (Letters, February 10) that the Treaty of Waitangi is not a partnership agreement with Maori, because it does not include the word partnership, has not been accepted by Treaty court judges. They know more about the law, in my view than Moon does, and they have ruled that the Treaty is a partnership agreement and that the word partnership is not necessary.
Peter Dey
Welcome Bay

Insightful comments

Brian Gaynor (Share market analyst and financial commentator) had some very pertinent comments recently about how TECT could restructure their investments for community grants & Trustpower customer cheques.
"Sell Tilt Renewables = $160 million
Reduce Trustpower stake 6 per cent to 20 per cent = $100m
Add these amounts to the current TECT investment portfolio of about $170m = $430m
Invested at say 6 per cent return = more than $25m

TECT would still receive Trustpower dividends =$22m approx with about $18m distributed to consumers.

This overall would enable TECT to meet easily meet its $23m target for community grants & for Trustpower consumers to receive an annual distribution, albeit more like $320 than the $497 average paid in 2017."

Surely the main shareholders - Infratil 51 per cent and TECT 27 per cent - have the power and wisdom to protect and guide Trustpower for Tauranga's future benefit?

Jim Peterson
Welcome Bay