Letters: Beach pollution, foreign policy, immigration, Ōwairaka trees, Zealandia and Chloe Swarbrick

Auckland Council regularly advises it is unsafe to swim at Browns Bay. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

Beach closures

While there are protests about cutting down exotic trees, the environmental degradation of our beaches continues without any care. In Browns Bay, public health warning signs have been erected to warn people not to swim at the beach. From my understanding, this is due to the ever-convenient "broken pipes" overflowing wastewater. We just have to accept it.
The similar closure of a rural river would not be accepted if it was polluted by dairy farm wastewater. Yet, in farming, there is no defence if pollution is caused by a broken pipe, a pump failure or inclement weather. However, these defences are regularly rolled out as reasons to accept urban beach closures.
One argument is that urban pollution, in terms of quantity, is minor when compared to farming. Maybe. However, the inconvenience and resulting impact on the population is arguably several magnitudes greater from urban pollution. The perception that urban pollution is minor is simply a myth.
Urban pollution needs to be taken more seriously by the council, media, lobby groups and city dwellers. After all, I simply want to be able to swim freely at my local beach this summer.
Murray Boardman, Browns Bay.

Price of trade

Maire Leadbeater (NZ Herald, November 18) quite rightly draws attention to our New Zealand political leaders' pathetic token gestures in relation to the injustices imposed by Indonesia upon the people of West Papua.
This comes about because a greater value is placed on trade with Indonesia as against our espoused values of social justice.
Similarly, our political leaders are guilty of having a blind eye to the desires of the Korean nations for an end to the Korean War.
Here too, a higher value is being given to trade with the USA (where the establishment does not want to see a united Korea) rather than actively working towards peace and freedom for all Koreans. Is this what we as New Zealanders stand for?
Is money really more important than the humanitarian value of social equity for our Asian and Pacific neighbours?
Peter Wilson, Highland Park.

Migrants and housing

New Zealand has had a net immigration increase of around 50,000 people every year for the last several years.
There are more than 400,000 people living in this country on some kind of temporary visa.
Yet our political overlords refuse to see the link between these two facts and our housing crisis.
Nothing will be done because immigration is the nexus between the neoliberal right and the multiculturalist left.
C C McDowall, Rotorua.

Trees needed

Regarding the removal of trees from Ōwairaka/Mt Albert (NZ Herald, November 21), I have heard very little reference to "climate change" and the need to keep the trees. We desperately need to save every tree we can, and feverishly plant new ones.
I don't know how much carbon 13,000 seedlings would absorb but, whatever it is, it is probably less than 345 mature trees and, in any case, should be an addition not a replacement.
Climate change is not just a matter for carbon reduction/absorption but the protection of all life species both plants and animals, etc.
Cultural concerns are very important but unfortunately barely need consideration in the light of the fact that our very existence along with most of the other species is at this point very much in doubt. This decision to remove trees adds further doubt.
Now is the time to think of children and all the yet-to-be-born, not ourselves.
David Tyler, Beach Haven.

Boomers dismissed

Chloe Swarbrick is gleaning much publicity for her comment "okay, boomer" but does she really believe that will help her in election year, given that she has completely diminished the contribution made by every senior citizen in NZ?
Perhaps Ms Swarbrick should consider that the taxes paid by boomers through their working lives have helped this country to thrive? I worked for 46 years in full-time employment until I retired in April this year and I found her dismissiveness insulting on so many levels.
Labour is watching NZ First crack up before its eyes and now the Greens are blatantly sneering at the people who, through their hard work, have been part of the backbone of this country.
Stephanie M Hearsey, Timaru.

Eighth continent

Simon Collins' article about the knowledge quiz (NZ Herald, November 19) included the question: "Can you name the seven continents?"
It may interest readers to know that eight continents are now recognised, the eighth being "Zealandia", which includes the New Zealand archipelago.
Zealandia was formerly part of Gondwana. Described by geologist Dr Nick Mortimer and others in an article in "GSA Today"in 2017 as "Earth's hidden continent", Zealandia is 94 per cent submerged.
The identification of Zealandia as a geological continent, rather than a collection of continental islands, fragments, and slices, more correctly represents the geology of this part of Earth.
David Lowe, Hamilton.

Erebus flight

Milton Wylie (NZ Herald, November 20) says Captain Collins was to blame for the Erebus crash. I remember that night only too well as I was teaching night flying at Ardmore when the news came in that the DC10 was missing.
My understanding is that the previous flight had tracked up McMurdo Sound to the NDB navigational aide used by the US Airforce and Captain Collins had been shown a visual audio aid of the previous flight the day before and would expect to fly the same route.
However, the US Airforce had decommissioned the NDB and replaced it with "Tacan" - a more sophisticated navigation aid that civilian aircraft cannot use.
Air New Zealand's chief navigator noticed the NDB was no longer available and, as a flight path should terminate at either a nav aid or prominent visual point, he altered the aircraft navigation computer to terminate its track at Mount Erebus (a prominent visual point).
He, however, made no attempt to inform Captain Collins of the change of track. Was Captain Collins issued with a paper PLOG (pilots log) which would have shown all the tracks, reporting points, waypoints, etc for the entire flight? If he was, did his PLOG show the flight terminating at Mount Erebus or had it not been updated and still showed the flight terminating at the McMurdo NDB?
Justice Mahon described conditions at the time as "a malevolent trick of the polar light".
Wayne Carpenter, Glen Eden.

Three factors

I am saddened the Erebus tragedy is being rehashed; the cause is clear.
The pilots: (1) Believed they were on a different route - the flight plan was changed without telling them. (2) Relied solely on the programmed navigation system and did not verify their track on the ground. (3) Cancelled the instrument flight plan and descended visual-flight-rules below a safe altitude in an area where they knew there was a mountain
but could not see it. It is open to speculation how many company pilots would have taken that risk on the day.
Dennis N Horne, Howick.

Like, whatever

Can anybody please explain why the word "whatever" has been erected on the roof of the former Accident Compensation Commission Building in Sales St in the Victoria Quarter of Auckland City following recent renovations?
Is it a reflection of the Auckland Council's attitude towards serious issues or does this come from central government? Shift the port, compensation for Albert St businesses, Ihumātao settlement or the Mt Albert trees?
Perhaps it's a response to the "okay, boomer" comments that have been in the media of recent times. I remain mystified
Dick Ayres, Auckland Central.

Historic denials

Nixon: "You must pursue this investigation of Watergate even if it leads to the president. I'm innocent."
Clinton: "I'm going to say this again, I did not have sexual relations with that woman."
Prince Andrew: "I have no recollection" of meeting Virginia Roberts/Giuffre.
Peter Culpan, Te Atatu Peninsula.

Short & sweet

On maunga

Where did Chris Findlayson get the right to give the volcanic cones to the Maunga Authority and, even more so, the right to pass the ongoing costs of $13m a year to the Auckland ratepayers? Arthur Moore, Pakuranga. NB. The amount of funding for the maunga authority has been corrected.

On Ihumātao

Surely the Prime Minister is joking to even suggest "loaning" taxpayer money to Auckland Council to buy the land from Fletcher? The money would likely never be repaid. A J Peterson, Kawerau.

On NZ First

If Winston Peters was the President of the US, Brian Henry would be gone by lunchtime.
Gordon Clout, Taupō.

On GG

So Ngapuhi has called on Prince Charles to appoint one of his brothers to be our next governor general. Andrew may be at a loose end? Ron Taylor, Mangawhai.

On aircraft

Rolls-Royce engineers warned their sales team those Trent engines would not meet Air NZ operating specs but were overruled by that sales team with disastrous results for both companies. Eric Strickett, Henderson.

On inattention

The reason so many drivers get tooted at for not moving at traffic lights, etc, is because they are usually too busy on their phones - iPhones are a worse addiction than any drug. Jock Mac Vicar, Hauraki.

On mall

They should consider putting in a monorail to join both sides of Sylvia Park Mall for customers to use, including a stop at a nearby carpark to free up road congestion near the motorway. Glenn Forsyth, Taupō.

On massage

Wellington City Council has a "staff massage room" – does it think it's Club Med? Mike Wagg, Freemans Bay.