What is catastrophically destructive in Gisborne are the impacts of alcohol on whānau. We have some of the highest statistics of family harm in New Zealand and many of those working in the social service sector work tirelessly to provide support to those impacted by alcohol.
While I appreciate the mention that overseas they “all get along”, we here in New Zealand are a way off from getting along. Our drinking culture is often in the news because it is so bad. We have a binge-drinking culture, drug and drink-driving culture, and an underage drinking culture.
We need to do more work to educate and inform whānau about the serious impacts of alcohol consumption and consider how we challenge our drinking culture.
Of course, we have those drinkers who ensure they enjoy themselves and drink responsibly. However, we have a serious alcohol problem in Tairāwhiti and the impacts are concerning.
We do have enough off-licences, as mentioned, and certainly enough bottle stores. What I would appreciate from our elected representatives is to meet with those working in the family harm sector and gain some understanding of the impacts of the decisions they make around alcohol licensing.
The balance around wellbeing, safety and good governance is to understand the region you represent.
Engagement around this policy and the opportunity mentioned around a sinking lid should be a focus for the council.
I am grateful for the mention of the impacts of advertising on vulnerable young people.
The best use of the term “catastrophic destruction” is in the recent article about an earthquake disaster from the Hikurangi subduction zone.
Meredith Akuhata-Brown
Not ‘mothballed’ after all
Re. “Rail track lifted... part of the rail line north of Wairoa to Gisborne that was mothballed in 2012″ - May 18 story. So the line is not “mothballed” (definition: “kept it in good condition so that it can readily be used again”) after all.
Peter Wooding
Need to reduce farm emissions
When people say, “we need to make sure council spending is ‘need to have’ and not ‘nice to have’,” what they are really saying is they just don’t want it.
Well boo-hoo to you - lots of people do want spending on cycle and walkways, get over it.
But since we are talking about “need to have”, we need to have farmers urgently reducing methane emissions off their farms. This is most definitely not a “nice to have”. On your bike Mr President - stay in your lane and get on the case.
Bruce Holm
Who turned down offers?
Re: “Early action needed to remove woody debris”, May 18 column.
Thanks John for again stating the obvious. Let’s hope it is taken on board.
So again, as a riverbank resident, who turned down the offers made to remove the slash?
All those affected upstream are at least owed that... Some facing displacement from their homes. Some now forced at great expense to lift dwellings to a new level. And some now uninsurable for future events, that it appears could have been mitigated if not avoided.
Peter Millar
Stop trial, return funds
In my earlier discussions with council staff I requested a copy of a plan showing the dimensions of the changes to Grey St and was advised there was not one available. I have now been able to measure them on the trial set out on the road and I have some serious concerns.
Grey St is a principal road in the GDC Roading Code of Practice and should have lane widths of 3.5m. The lane widths marked on the road are significantly less.
Parallel car parks should be 2.5m wide (NZS 4121). Some are narrower than 2.0m. There is insufficient room for parked car occupants to open their car doors without affecting traffic in both the through lane and the cycle lane.
Having the parking lane sited between the cycle lanes and the traffic lanes is dangerous, forcing car occupants to exit into the busy lanes. Passengers exiting on the cycle lane side, especially the elderly or children, will have difficulty seeing cyclists approaching. Disabled people will also have difficulty exiting vehicles into the cycle lane.
Parking spaces have been reduced from 91 to 48 - a 47 per cent reduction.
The trial as set out is a farce. Drivers are confused by the layout and have been pushing through the cones, removing cones to get direct east/west access to Kahutia St, or doing U-turns around the end of the cones where the concrete planter is to be. The trial is demonstrating how poorly designed and dangerous this proposal is.
I have been attending the site meetings recently arranged to inform the public regarding the project and at each meeting the opposition to the project has been unanimous. Interestingly, council staff did not attend this week’s meeting.
The proposal does not appear to have been designed by a traffic safety engineer and in my view has serious safety deficiencies. This unwanted, poorly planned project should be stopped now and the unused funds returned to Waka Kotahi.
Tiny Thompson
