Letters: Family homes first priority

ISN'T it great Housing Corp is building much-needed housing, or is it?

I've watched the changes in Harper St over several years. First, the sale of at least 11 homes by National. Now I see about 10 small units being built on three sites which had held sound three-to four-bedroom homes.

Whatever was in the minds of the bureaucrats when they demolished those existing houses? Homes that were desperately needed by families on the waiting list.

Now we have lots of small one- and two-bedroom units, by the look of them, near completion. But what is required? Who are on the waiting list? Is the greatest need for elderly couples and single people? I doubt that. Will families with children still remain homeless?

Please, please tell me that Housing NZ is not being so cynical and nasty that it is just pushing up the numbers of builds at the expense of families waiting for a roof over their heads.

DENISE LOCKETT
Whanganui

Saints and sinners

For transparency; I am a former lay minister, a teacher of 30 years' service and a community and civil rights advocate since I was 16. Councillor Bennett is a well-known, successful, international businessman, one-term councillor and elder in the Whanganui Presbyterian enclave. We can both equally wax biblical as per his rebuttal (Letters, July 1). Respectfully, in order to maintain that satirical biblical dialogue (supposedly as one of the stern Temple elders), he misquotes and misinterprets in several places.

Firstly, I do not support rates rises in the way he phrased it. For the public record, I ran for council in 2016 and stated that rates should be kept under 3.5 per cent. I have submitted on pensioner housing, to minimise a forecast impost on ratepayers. As a former president of the Ratepayers' Association I brought in a WDC rates officer for a Q&A etc.

Secondly, I support the living wage for all New Zealanders. It's about wellbeing and economic dignity for all, without judging the recipient.

Thirdly, my letter was one of support for the CEO, Whanganui and Partners, and that our elected council was doing its best based on a small ratepayer base. I absolutely do support the redoing of the WDC front office after three years of budgeted scrimp and save to do it.

For Bennett to selectively say, "That some of us in the past three years have done our best to cut rate increases" is, in part, an affront to your colleagues. All have vetted the books and questioned further, and that is why the CEO, in pained frustration said to all, "Tell me where to make cuts!"

Bennett concluded telling me and Steve Baron, as residents, to "get a grip" and stand for election and see how we dealt with rates. From reading the above, I am not doing too badly as an unelected resident doing my bit. My attendance record (as observer) at council meetings is more often absent, (similar to three councillors) but I do watch the online service.

Good Sir (and he is), I am doing my fair share from outside the window, looking in ... just as you did once. Tap, tap.

ROSS FALLEN
Castlecliff

Love and the need for cash

To quote George Carlin: "Religion has convinced people that there's an invisible man ... living in the sky. Who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of 10 specific things he doesn't want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer, and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you. He loves you and he needs money".

Israel Folau is one man that fervently believes in this construct. "He [Israel] loves you and he needs money too," so what is the difference? He espouses hatred of all homosexuals, which I fervently disagree with, but not with his right to say it. Your personal beliefs should never be subjugated by your employer for obvious reasons.

However, I offer this conundrum for you: With the passage of time the Queen of England will inevitably die, Prince Charles will succeed her and become King, thus also succeeding her as the head of the Church of England. The church will be then ruled by an individual who has committed one of the 10 specific things this invisible man doesn't want you to do, adultery. Will there be an uproar or will concessions be made?

Concessions will weaken the power of the word of God — who, like Israel Folau, loves you and still needs money.

PAUL EVANS-MCLEOD
Te Rapa

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