Letters: ‘Appalled’ by bottom trawling; rich listers’ wealth; Hamas; and roads

A close-up photo of stony coral in a trawl net shows both dead and live versions of the protected species.

Letters to the Editor

Bottom trawling

Having seen David Attenborough’s film Ocean, I am appalled that this type of fishing is allowed to continue. There should be hefty fines for those who participate in this no matter what country they come from, and their fishing rights cancelled.

No wonder there is a shortage of fish in the oceans and the destruction of beautiful coral and various other creatures who dwell on the sea floor is outrageous. I understand it is now to be allowed in the Hauraki Gulf if not already happening. I would hope this film should be compulsory screening for all fishing companies in New Zealand and worldwide who participate in seabed trawling and hope they get the message they are contributing to the killing of the planet. This film should be shown to everybody worldwide.

Ruth Winter, Birkenhead.

Coral destruction

Michael Morrah’s article about the destruction of coral in NZ waters by the immoral practice of bottom trawling should mortify all of us, not just Sir David Attenborough, and brings shame to all who have political power and have not used it to end this ridiculous practice.

Seafood New Zealand’s CEO Lisa Futschek should be asked to resign if she is not going to make bottom trawling illegal. We need to ask all those who are in power if they have seen Sir David’s latest documentary Ocean and what steps are they taking to protect our planet. We should listen to Karli Thomas, of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, who says she doesn’t believe Attenborough would see NZ as a shining example of fishing sustainability.

Dennis Worley, Birkenhead.

Condemning Hamas

My response to Geof Mortlock (June 10): Yes, the atrocities are heartbreaking but the real enemy is Hamas. We never hear condemnation of what they are about. From the outset of this current conflict (begun by Hamas) they have used Palestinians as a shield, building tunnels and shelters under Palestinian schools and hospitals. Palestinians are afraid to speak out against Hamas because of reprisals, torture and death threats. Israel knows the Hamas agenda is total annihilation of all infidels.

Carole Munro, Mangere Bridge.

Rich list

Our PM thinks there must be “aspirational stories” behind the wealth accumulated by 191 NZers. In fact for most of them, wealth came from property development and investment, facilitated by government policies.

Only a few of the billionaires had the courage and nous to start productive businesses that created jobs and increased our country’s wealth. Most are landowners, getting rich by charging ever-increasing rents. Almost all of them bitterly resent paying their fair share of tax, although they are happy for the rest of us to contribute to the general good.

If Luxon took the trouble to find out how their wealth came about perhaps he wouldn’t advise the rest of us to admire them.

Sussan Grimsdell, Auckland Central.

Calm driving?

“Traffic calming chicanes” must be one of the greatest oxymorons ever crafted. I don’t know anybody who experiences calm when they find one of these abominations on their path.

As a cyclist I find such things particularly dangerous. On my commute to work through Māngere Bridge there are a number of traffic calming structures that make cycling incredibly dangerous by constricting the width of the beautifully smooth and wide Coronation Rd forcing me out into the flow of traffic.

I also regularly cycle through Swanson and just on the Waitākere side of the railway station there’s a particular structure that narrows the road down to the point where I’m sure, if there’s anywhere I’m going to meet my doom on a bike, it will be when one of the large trucks that regularly thunder through there of a morning and I coincide at that spot and I get turned into a little more than smear on the road. The desperation of some drivers to sit on the bumper of the car in front never ceases to amaze me.

I don’t know who designs these things, but clearly, they don’t have the first clue about what makes the road safer for cyclists.

John Christiansen, Mt Albert.