Letters: Be inclusive, not exclusive

New Zealand is a multi-cultural society, is it not? So why are the cultural tastes of a significant section of our community barred from multi-cultural events?

I refer to the Multicultural Council of Rangitikei/Whanganui's potluck dinner on July 12, to which attendees are asked to bring "a plate of food — with no pork or beef." (Chronicle, July 2).

We were once involved in helping a young Pakistani Muslim couple assimilate into New Zealand society. They regarded us as their New Zealand mum and dad, and we were grandmother and grandfather to their daughter. During that time we hosted many meals at our home that were attended by European, Maori, Pakistani and Indian from all faiths including Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and atheist.

Once it was established that the women were not to be banished to another room, everyone partook of meals together, my wife taking the simple step of placing the pork and beef at opposite ends of the table and informing everyone accordingly.

Everybody accepted the hosts' protocols, nobody was offended and, to the best of my knowledge, no-one transgressed their own particular religious conventions.

If we are to have a truly multicultural society, shouldn't we be inclusive — not exclusive?

MURRAY CRAWFORD
Whanganui

Crisis for wildlife

Having recently attended the Forest and Bird Conference in Wellington, I have come away feeling absolutely distraught about the state of New Zealand's ecosystems and wildlife.

Eighty per cent of New Zealand's birds are in decline, 84 per cent of our reptiles, 76 per cent of our freshwater fish in decline, marine ecosystems are being decimated — the list goes on; where does it stop? Nearly all this through human intervention and exploitation.
To quote from the conference: "Nature is seen as the raw material to our economy — it should be the other way around".

The rape and destruction of our land and oceans just seems to go on and on with extinctions happening before our eyes. Sometimes I wonder if people even care. There must be a turning point. We need to rethink and start doing things differently.

One of the most concerning things is the vast numbers of seabirds (including penguins and albatross) and marine mammals that end up as by-catch from our fishing industries.

Please sign the "Zero By-Catch Pledge" (just Google it). Never before has nature needed our help like it does now.

LYNNE ANDERSON
Napier

Council pay rates

David Bennett said in his letter (July 1) that the council pays, on average, around $73,000 gross per year to its employees.

This equates to $35 per hour for a 40-hour week. That is more than a lot of qualified tradies are being paid and, as it is an average, there will be some getting more.
I find this hard to justify, as in the past this council has never been shy about bringing in outside consultants, contractors and so-called experts at great cost to this community and, in some cases, no explanation for poor delivery.

I would like to see published a full list of positions, qualifications, job descriptions and pay rates for all elected councillors and fulltime employees. Councils throughout the country tell us they are a business. That's true. But it's not their business, as their attitude sometimes indicates.

The mayor, councillors and permanent staff are all employees of the ratepayers.
Ratepayers are not council customers, and a cavalier attitude by a few councillors and wannabe councillors will, I hope, be remembered come election time.

A. BARRON
Aramoho

Lord above all

H. Norton (June 27) is right in calling Jesus a sage/wise man. But Jesus himself stated he was far more than that, applying the personal name of God to himself (no wise person who was merely human would do that).

There is no valid linguistic basis for translating [the Tetragrammaton — YHWH] as "nature". It is the personal name of God throughout the Hebrew Scriptures.

Proverbs states that fear/reverence of "The Lord", not "nature" is the beginning of wisdom. The Lord, as creator, is independent from and superior to all of creation.

MANDY DONNE-LEE
Aramoho

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