Letters: Care needed with hives

Beehives and the bee cloud on the roadside near Matahiwi on Wednesday. The Whanganui River Road is at the left of the picture. Photo / Supplied by John Malcolm

IT'S wonderful to see our paddocks dotted with beehives. But, on a trip last week up the Whanganui River Road, things got very uncomfortable, downright dangerous.

Commercial apiarists have placed large groups of hives close to the roadside with the result that road users have to pass through clouds of bees.

In one particular area just outside Matahiwi, the density of bees was something like a scene from a horror movie.

No problem if you are tucked up in your car with the windows closed and the air-conditioning on. It would be a different matter if the windows were down and you had a dozen bees come into the car.

Panicked passengers and drivers would quickly become a liability to themselves and others.

For cyclists, motorcyclists and walkers, if they can see the hazard in time, then the road is simply closed. I shudder to think of the consequences for cyclists and motorcyclists riding through the cloud of bees without warning or eye protection.

Placing the hives in proximity to the public highway is a health, safety and traffic hazard. I wonder why these unthinking apiarists have not been called to account.

JOHN MALCOLM
St John's Hill

Youngsters impress

I would like to say how impressed this oldie and my oldie friends were by the youngsters at Whanganui's Climate Change gathering on March 15 at the Bowl in Virginia Park.

They had clear messages to give to our leaders (we need system change).
They were polite and well organised.

Whanganui should be proud of them all.

To the teachers and members of the community worried about them missing a day of school, I'd say you should have seen them using and trying out new leadership skills. The clear and creative signs they made. Their willingness to listen to everyone's presentations and tell each other about others' positive efforts, such as getting there with large placards without using carbon-emitting vehicles. There was definitely support for the organisers, too.

Their tolerance but passionate concerns about their future and the future of humans on this planet were clearly expressed. We could see how many were using brand new skills they'd had to develop to fill a role to make this occasion possible.

It was obvious that there had been much collaborative work and support happening to get most of them there.

So let's not allow the tragedy that happened in Christchurch that afternoon to push the powerful positivity of the morning out of our minds.

And let's remember our future is in safe hands with such caring and understanding youngsters.

LYN PEARSON
Castlecliff

Ardern sets standard

We must acknowledge the courage and wisdom of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's swift decision to ban military-style guns.

Her handling of the Christchurch massacre has been exceptional.

As an Australian Muslim, I want to thank her for her help, love and compassion towards the victims and their families. I have not seen such a compassionate leader on the world stage in recent times.

USMAN MAHMOOD
South Bowenfels, NSW

Facts needed

TVNZ have been promoting their news service, claiming they make no assumptions when compiling their reports. The report on how the gun used by the terrorist was sourced and that no home visitation was conducted seems to indicate there had been an assumption made.

Now the police have announced that a home visit was conducted.

The issue is the conflict of the two facts reported and how the information is processed in the minds of the viewers whose experiences with the law could influence their thinking.

MAX WARBURTON
Brunswick

Send your letters to: The Editor, Whanganui Chronicle, 100 Guyton St, PO Box 433, Whanganui 4500; or email editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz