'How can the credibility of the Green Party be taken seriously when they have to take a month to plan a meeting?,' asks Mike Baker?
How can the Greens be taken seriously?
How can the credibility of the Green Party be taken seriously when they have to take a month to plan a meeting so that they can consider expelling a former member and then the meeting has to be cancelled (NZ Herald, Aug 30).
If discussing every issue with their party members is what the Green Party is required to do, just imagine the chaos should they ever be in a future government, as it would basically be government by paralysis.
Maybe even worse of course is that they are considering acting under the waka-jumping legislation, which the Green Party vehemently opposed at every stage, obviously under the now mistaken view that no such thing would ever happen to them or their party.
While Darleen Tana has basically become the gift that keeps on giving for all the other political parties in Parliament, the sheer hypocrisy should the Greens act under this legislation would be almost beyond comprehension to the point that, would you ever trust them again?
One actually wonders what has occurred within the Green Party since the election just last year, what is next?
Mike Baker, Tauranga.
Mobility parking abuse
As a disabled person I’m glad to see the Government significantly increase fines for mobility parking spaces (NZ Herald, Aug 30).
The statistic that one-third of cars parked in mobility parking spaces do not have a mobility permit is hardly surprising; it’s not an exaggeration to say that almost every day I venture into Auckland’s CBD I find a vehicle parked illegally and am forced to circle around the block in hope of finding another mobility parking space.
However, a hike in fines alone won’t solve the issue. People who misuse mobility parking spaces are cunning. They use them like loading zones, trusting that an enforcement officer isn’t going to swing around the block in the 15 minutes it takes for them to grab a coffee down the road.
The best way to move forward with this is to publicly call for civilian reporting. It shouldn’t just be something that mobility users report - it should be widespread in the community. Increased reporting by everyone of non-compliance would signal to disabled people that we belong in these spaces too, and that our access matters.
Compliance is a two-step issue. Increased fines are fair and well, but the fines don’t matter if no one is paying them.
Talia Nicol, Mount Eden.
Phones and fines
If we can increase the fine for illegally parking in mobility spaces from $150 to $750, the same as in Australia, why cannot we also increase the same fine of only $150 for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving to $1000 - the same as in Australia for decades.
It should be done too at the same time to save lives in New Zealand. Just think about it, then do it.
Murray Hunter, Titirangi.
Basic infrastructure
How can 300-plus homes built on a development at Red Hills not have the basic infrastructure connected to deal with wastewater (Weekend Herald, Aug 24).
As the Waitakere councillor Ken Turner said; “Trucking wastewater by road is just the old-fashioned night cart going door to door”. How many other developments have been, or are going to be, built without basic infrastructure in place?
And the passing of the “fast-track” bill doesn’t bear thinking about. Talk about putting the cart before the horse.
Dennise Cook, Torbay.
This stinks
Can someone explain how several hundred houses in Cardinal West were deemed habitable without adequate sewerage? Something definitely stinks here.
This is a glimpse of how uncontrolled intensification, plus granny flats galore, will affect Auckland’s fragile infrastructure. Chris Bishop beware - the night cart could be trundling towards your street.
Bernice Beachman, Devonport.
Gang crackdown
Well done the Minister of Police for changing the previous mantra of “be kind” to everyone to not include law-breaking gangs.
The forfeiture of guns, ammunition, cash, drugs, property and vehicles from the Commancheros gang in Christchurch must surely be the tip of the iceberg (NZ Herald, Aug 30). Society demands that the lawbreakers are rounded up and put out of business.
Which gang is next? Soon there should be enough in forfeited assets, to buy two new Cook Strait ferries, or a new rail line Auckland to Northport, or some decent planes for the Air Force, or a new Mount Victoria tunnel, or new water infrastructure for Wellington City, or two new prisons, or some decent roads for Northland, or two new hospitals.
Keep up the good work Mark Mitchell. May the force be with you.
Graham Fleetwood, Tauranga.
Building consensus
It is so disappointing to observe opposition parties at play. Is that the reason it is called the opposition - oppose anyway, even when it makes sense or the stats are staring you in the face.
I am talking about police patrols and a bipartisan approach to multi-billion dollar projects for the nation so that there is continuity when truckloads of taxpayers’ cash is at stake, plus continuity of such a project.
There is only so much any government can achieve in three years. It is high time there was a referendum about a bi or tri-partisan approach to such big projects so that the matter is taken out of any big political party’s hand and they have to work together whether they like it or not. In one of the Scandinavian countries there is always a public referendum regarding issues facing a country during election time to save money.
It is high time we looked at this way of getting decisions out of politicians’ hands so that they don’t feel their re-election chances will be affected.
Ashley Mall, Mount Albert.
Power projects
As NZ moves towards renewable energy sources and de-carbonisation, the power-generating companies could look to the history books, and old newspapers, for ideas on new hydro-electric generation projects.
Before the development of the Taranaki oil and natural gas fields there were many proposals for new hydro-electric power stations.
In the South Island there were plans for two more power stations on the Clutha River: one at Beaumont below Roxburgh and one at Lowburn, near Cromwell.
In the North Island there is further potential to generate more power. The Waikato River has a series of man-made lakes with power stations at each dam. These lakes all depend on water storage in Lake Taupō.
Taupō’s water level is controlled by a control gate near the Huka Falls. The operating range of Lake Taupō could be increased by two metres. This would greatly expand the power generation of the existing generation facilities.
There is another major river in the North Island that contributes nothing to power generation; the Whanganui River. Its waters come from Tongariro National Park, adjacent to the Waikato source catchment. The Whanganui River probably has a similar potential as Lake Taupō and the Waikato River.
Hydroelectric power has a lot of advantages over other renewable generation methods such as wind and solar. Hydro-power can fill in when there is no wind and no sunshine. We should look at new hydro-electric power generation as our population grows and we attempt to decarbonise our economy.
Peter D Graham, Helensville.
All governments make mistakes but to cancel two fixed-price rail ferries was a massive mistake that sadly New Zealanders will continue to pay dearly for in the future. Will we be happy with second-best cheaper ferries that have no rail capacity and will have less capacity and prove more expensive to carry goods across Cook Strait. Incoming governments should not by law be able to cancel set contracts.
Marie Kaire, Whangārei.
The infrastructure plan that Chris Bishop wants all parties to buy into is a great idea, but a bit rich. After rubbishing and pulling the chain on, for instance, the Cook Strait ferry replacement, Auckland light rail, the Lake Onslow project etc he now wants parties to agree with whatever the coalition thinks should happen in the next 30 years. Remember the idiom “Do as I say not as I do”.
Reg Dempster, Albany.
On a recent road trip through Europe three features stood out: There are thousands of wind turbines and solar panel farms everywhere; on the motorways there are no wire (cheesecutter) median barriers, only concrete or Armco steel barriers; and traffic flows because all trucks and slow vehicles keep right (in the slow lane). The fast lane is only used for overtaking. No one “sits” in the fast lane.
Mark van Praagh, Hobsonville Point.
Despite irrefutable evidence of the recent increase of police numbers on the beat, Labour’s police spokeswoman Ginny Andersen refuses to accept the mathematical facts. It is comforting to know that she is not Labour’s spokeswoman for education.
Ian Doube, Rotorua.
For every hour that we burn natural gas to make electricity we have to pay international gas prices for that hour of electricity. The way our wholesale market works we end up paying top dollar even for the electricity that is produced far more cheaply. Our export companies need low input costs, and whenever we use even one litre of gas to generate electricity then these companies do not have cheap electricity. The Government needs to move away from gas or they will ruin our manufacturing sector.
Ra Cleave, Rotorua.
We seem to be in dire straits over the shortage of power in this country. Therefore it is surprising that I am inundated with continuous adverts on TV exhorting me to buy an electric heater which is designed for outdoor use in the middle of winter. Is it intended to heat my suburb so we can all sit in our back gardens and cook our meals al fresco?
Vince West, Milford.
Good heavens Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters finally agree that climate change is an existential threat to the Pacific. Heaven be praised.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
A quick lesson for Chris Hipkins: The monarch is our sovereign and the government is their representative, therefore they hold the sovereignty.
Mark Young, Ōrewa.
It doesn’t matter how many plural pronouns one applies to a name, but Darleen Tana is still only entitled to one vote in the House.
Gavin Baker, Glendowie.
What is “most mana diminishing, paternalistic and visionless” is not the Prime Minister telling local government to cut its cloth to fit its cap, but local government continually squandering ratepayer money on vanity projects instead of delivering on the basics.
Mike Wagg, Freemans Bay.
A petition for police body cameras has gained nearly 15,000 signatures.