The Tank Farm. Photo / Brett Phibbs
LETTER OF THE WEEK
Sandra Coney’s letter (NZ Herald, December 20) is absolutely right to call for more transparency from the council regarding what is actually the vision for the city waterfront.
This is particularly pertinent to the current debate about the future of Tank Farm, or Wynyard Wharf/Point.
New York-based landscape architect Kate Orff’s recent opinion piece (NZ Herald, December 18) is abundant with pleasing rhetoric, but hardly addresses the real issues of urban waterfronts in the age of worsening climate crisis. Restoring a few wharves as city parks posing as coastal ecosystems will only have a cosmetic effect. They will give us a few years to enjoy harbour edge recreation and tourism but will not address the decades of climate mayhem ahead.
We need a Tank Farm transformed to a Think Farm - an unabashedly engineered artificial landscape which processes urban waste, and generates clean power, bio-fuel, fibre, food and potable water. The planned ten thousands of residents, workers and visitors of the ever-growing Wynyard Quarter might find this local resource base a matter of sheer survival in the coming climate crises and disasters.
Dushko Bogunovich, Retired professor of urban design and city planning, Cornwallis, Auckland
Think Big on stadium
I’m hoping the new Coalition Government can take a leaf out of previous governments and “Think Big” on the Auckland stadium subject.
For Auckland to become a truly international city, in my view, we need both a waterfront and Eden Park stadiums. The new stadium should be multi-purpose for multiple sporting codes. It could become the home for the new Auckland A-League Football club and purpose-built for T20 cricket matches. Also it could be used for rugby sevens, hockey or baseball etc. I also visualise it having an athletic track to host the Commonwealth Games again sometime.
Eden Park should remain the spiritual home for rugby and especially the All Blacks. Investment spent on a retractable roof and extending capacity. It is important that a national stadium with its rich history be preserved at all costs. After all, we as a nation don’t have many facilities with this history.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.
Standardised reading tests
Anyone who has been in the teaching profession for any length of time will know standardised testing in reading has been tried many times and subsequent research shows the valuable time lost in setting up all the criteria and the testing process, rather than teaching reading at the coal face, made children’s overall progress in reading worse. Currently, 27 per cent of all New Zealand children are arriving at secondary school with insufficient reading skills to begin their secondary education. National’s nothing-new, standardised testing vote-catcher will only make the reading crisis worse, as the history of standardised testing programmes in primary schools has shown over and over again.
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
Let’s look forward
Carrick Bernard’s assertion “I cannot be bound to the version of the document if I do not understand the foreign language” (NZ Herald letters, December 21) is true for both sides of the Treaty agreement. The English version is valid for all those that don’t speak Māori and is most definitely of equal status. It is long past time that the interests and equality of all the people that emigrated to this land are recognised and reflected in the laws that are passed. Let’s look forward, and enjoy the diversity that each culture brings to our nation.
Andrew Mills, Beach Haven.
Final determination required
Carrick Bernard’s letter (NZ Herald, December 21) tells us the English version of the Treaty lacks the status of the Māori version. That is a questionable. There can be no doubt that the Treaty has three articles: In the English version, Māori cede the sovereignty of New Zealand to Britain; Māori give the Crown an exclusive right to buy lands they wish to sell, and, in return, are guaranteed full rights of ownership of their lands, forests, fisheries and other possessions; and Māori are given the rights and privileges of British subjects.
There are important differences. In the Māori text, most significantly, the word “sovereignty” was translated as “kawanatanga” (governance) with the result some argue Māori retained the right to manage their own affairs. The English version guaranteed “undisturbed possession” of all their “properties”, but the Māori version guaranteed “tino rangatiratanga” (full authority) over “taonga”. Many do not accept that these differences mean only the Māori version is credible.
There can be no doubt a final determination of how the Treaty should be interpreted is necessary.
Bruce Anderson, Christchurch.
The new normal
In recent times, certain phrases seem to have crept into our vocabulary. Some make me cringe.
“Power couples”: Are these the less wealthy seeking promotion to be “rich listers”? If they make it, they could be “blown away”. Next is everything is “viral”. I hope Covid has nothing to do with this, there are a lot of viruses around, you know. Finally, my real pet hate, “ah, kind-a-like”. Can someone let me know exactly what this means? I’ve asked and to date had little feedback other than “yeah/no”.
A return to some form of normality would be good. Oh wait - this is normal.
R. L. Bicker, Gulf Harbour.
Truancy rates
What a sad indictment on some New Zealanders parenting that there is a headline “46 per cent school attendance in Term 3 among worst on record” ( NZ Herald, December 21).
It is cause for concern that so many parents and caregivers don’t see the value of a good education, and it is time they stop blaming schools, and other external factors for their child’s poor attendance.
Exactly how the new Government will tackle this apathy among certain groups remains to be seen, but something must change as it is every child’s right to have an education, and it’s their parents’ or caregivers’ responsibility see that this happens.
Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.
Covid inquiry
Regarding the Royal Commission Covid Inquiry, Deborah Chambers KC (NZ Herald, December 21) says David Seymour and Winston Peters are right about scrapping it. She says that in the terms of reference (See: The “Royal Commission of Inquiry (Covid-19 Lessons) Order 2022″) there is no evaluation of Government decision-making yet that determining legislation under “the scope of the enquiry” it is clearly stated that the decision-making structures and arrangements that might be used or put in place during an evolving pandemic of extended length should be considered.
The current inquiry must deliver its report by September 30 next year. To scrap it and start again before its outcomes and recommendations are known would be a pointless and costly exercise.
Ross Forbes, Kerikeri.
A QUICK WORD
Several correspondents, and of course all of PM Christopher Luxon’s political opponents, are becoming extremely exercised by the fact that the Luxons claimed the EV rebate on his wife’s Tesla, after he criticised the policy. Whether or not he agreed with the rebate scheme in principle is immaterial, as the rebate was available to anyone buying an electric vehicle. Had they not claimed it, it would have shown a disturbing lack of gumption, and an even more disturbing lack of financial acumen.
Philip Lenton, Auckland.
The Herald has reported that only 46% of school pupils attended classes regularly in Term 3, one of the worst figures on record, with Māori and Pacific students the worst affected. Does this mean, once again, that the system has failed Māori and Pacific children, and indeed any other group of children for that matter, or does it in fact mean that in this situation it has actually been their parents who have failed them?
Phil Chitty, Albany.
Really sad to see that there are no programmes on any of the television stations either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day celebrating the “true” meaning of Christmas. The commercialisation of Christmas has well and truly taken over.
Dennise Cook, Torbay.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis can show her determination to cut government expenditure by putting all MPs on the minimum wage, with no extras and certainly no perks. By accepting this, MPs can demonstrate they really are there only for the public good.
John Mihaljevic, Waitakere Gardens.
Deborah Chambers (NZ Herald, December 21) conflates separate issues in her opinion piece. The first, the subject of the inquiry, examines how well NZ responded to the coronavirus. The known and obvious answer to that question is NZ did as well as or in some cases hugely better than other countries, saving some 20,000 lives. The second issue is the simple philosophical question of whose rights should take precedence in a pandemic: those who want to keep open their shops and eateries or those 20,000 whose lives will be lost. There is no right or wrong answer.
Mark Nixon, Remuera.
PM Christopher Luxon said he and Defence Minister Judith Collins asked the Defence Force to come back with “long-term options for proper travel”, having deemed the 757′s failures “incredibly embarrassing” for New Zealand. Isn’t it a pity they can’t get reliable ferries so ordinary Kiwis who can’t fly can take their vehicle across the Cook Strait safely and reliably. Isn’t that embarrassing too?
Steve Russell, Hillcrest.
More than two dozen firefighters battled the fire at its peak.