Letters: Forget Treaty, tackle charity bosses’ pay instead; Auckland stadium plan too blokey, too ugly

An artist's impression of the proposed downtown stadium at Quay Park, flanked by an All Blacks hotel.

Letters to the Editor

Forget the Treaty, tackle charity bosses’ pay

Now the Treaty Principles Bill has been effectively annulled, and apparently was always going to be, that raises the question: why bother in the first place?

It has consumed considerable time and money, and one can only speculate as to the reason it was given so much latitude.

Meanwhile, the desperate financial plight of many Kiwis continues unabated, as we read of 326 charity executives at 31 organisations who are paid an average of $250,000 each. Are these CEOs on a 90-day trial period?

Now the Treaty bill is redundant, perhaps Act could focus on their mantra of “one people, one set of rules and duties for all New Zealanders” and apply it to the industrial relations arena?

Surely, to be consistent with their espoused ideology, they would want all New Zealanders to be handsomely paid and in a secure work environment.

Miles Langdon, Remuera.

Too blokey, too ugly

How to put it politely. The new proposed Auckland stadium image displaying the waterfront structure encompassing so many facilities looks for all intents and purposes like a warrior standing up and out in a show of defiance.

Sounds good, but with our history of male violence upon women and children, I would say it is another show of male control with a message of brutal confrontation, especially for those arriving into the port.

It’s ugly, but that is a personal opinion, and one from a woman who is tired of the male world controlling much of our lives.

They want billions of dollars spent on it, which shows how little they have thought about the pending climate change that threatens all living things on our planet. That’s not the point, you say - we need a facility.

We need to put every single dollar we have into helping people adapt to a changing world, eliminating fossil fuels and cleaning up our oceans, air and earth so we can provide a safe future for our children.

But hey, that’s boring. Who wants to spend money on that?

Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead.

Transport taniwha

For anyone who would like to see Auckland Transport’s vision for our roads, I recommend a trip to Taniwha St in Glen Innes, from Elstree Ave to West Tamaki Rd.

Go there on foot‚ cycle or take a bus - don’t go by car, as they are no longer welcome. Outside Tamaki College, there is a collection of concrete emplacements reminiscent of tank traps. You would have to ask AT what their alleged function is.

For a relatively short road, this section of Taniwha St has what seems to be an excess of bus stops, each with a concrete plinth extending out from the footpath - so when a bus pulls into the stop, all traffic in that lane is halted. To ensure this occurs, there are “no passing” yellow lines midline on the road.

I’m sure there are raised pedestrian crossings, as everyone has one. Really, the only thing missing are concrete planter boxes in the middle of the road. I rather hope no one from AT reads this, otherwise I’m sure they too will arrive.

A visit to take in this Orwellian vision will show you how AT spends/squanders your rates and taxes.

Trevor Stevens, Pukekohe.

Sign simplicity

Minister for Auckland Simeon Brown should get rid of the hotchpotch of bus lanes, T3 and T2 lanes and replace them with simple signs with phrases like “give way to buses” or “give priority”

This will not only ease congestion, but save money for ratepayers. So there will be no need to use coloured paints and cluttered signage.

Mohammed Yakub, Māngere East.

Swarbrick the answer

There’s no doubt Chlöe Swarbrick will become a co-leader of the Green Party. One does not become the MP for Auckland Central at such a young age without having had the charisma to convince a very mixed group of voters she was the best person for the job.

Watching her spar with Jack Tame on the TV programme Q+A, it is obvious her command of the spoken word will always stand her in good stead.

There is no doubt that industrialisation and the abuse of the planet is starting to take its toll at an alarming rate. Whether Chlöe can convince the sceptics remains to be seen.

The Greens are not so much a political party but our conscience and a continual reminder the survival of our planet is in each of our hands.

Reg Dempster, Albany.

Up the Nix

I feel it’s time for some more recognition for the Wellington Phoenix. At the start of the season, they were favourites to finish at the bottom of the table with a new coach and star players once again departing to larger Aussie clubs and being replaced by unproven young NZ academy players.

Here they are at the top of the league, with players like Tim Payne, Alex Rufer and Kosta Barbarouses playing the best football of their career. They may not finish on top or win anything this year, but considering the amount of coverage the Warriors received last year, I feel more credit is due.

Paul Kenny, Ponsonby.