Letters: Parapara area needs trees

Parapara State Highway 4 slip. Photo / Mark Brimblecombe

Parapara area needs trees
The Whanganui Chronicle (October 12) quotes Whanganui District councillor Helen Craig attributing the massive slip in the Parapara hills to government underfunding of roads, saying: "The Parapara Rd is not failing for any other reason than massive under-investment in resilience by the Government."

Above the photo of Craig looking concerned is the aerial photo of the massive hillside slip covered in a myriad of cracks. The road is an insignificant little ribbon of pulverised rock also covered in myriad cracks, completely destroyed by the power of nature.
The Parapara area is soft papa rock made of marine sediments deposited relatively recently, in geological terms, when this area was under the sea.

The river will continue to cut through this soft sediment, and these hills will continue to slip and erode due to the action of water. The only way to slow down erosion on slip-prone hills is reforestation.

Helen Craig would be better advised, if she is deeply concerned about preventing erosion, to put her energies into supporting the current Government's aim to plant a billion trees around New Zealand.

Instead of lobbying for more roading investment by NZTA, I respectfully suggest she lobbies for more trees to be planted throughout our region, alongside all our rivers and our roads.

It would help protect millions of dollars of assets and contribute to reducing carbon in the atmosphere at the same time.
MARGIE BEAUTRAIS
Whanganui

We need to adapt
Please allow me to comment on the editorial "Promise on EVs for Govt fleet".
It's okay to air disappointment regarding governments and/or councils. Your comment was quite discouraging; let it be constructive. Lines like "shallow political purposes" and "self-serving eco-promise" not to be used. Any council decision is based on a democratic system, we can support that.

In the comment it says that EVs are fraught. The same can be said about combustion-powered vehicles. Credit to the exploration of oil; that oil has given ample use of transport and use of plastics all over the planet. We even call it wealth.
Now we discover that use of oil has side-effects caused by CO2 and plastic particles in water, air, everywhere. Frightening, it is.

We need to adapt, today rather than tomorrow. Not by negative commenting but to encourage alternatives like electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles (land, sea and air) and the use of alternatives for plastics. Import of any plastic to be stopped if there is a biodegradable alternative.

The Whanganui Chronicle, one of the media, should inform about, encourage and promote all kind of alternatives - whether for agriculture, clothing, handling of waste or anything else with the goal for a better environment.
ROMBOUT VAN RIEMSDIJK
Whanganui

Saving the planet
Frank Greenall (October 10) challenges us to wake up and listen to the eco-science warning us about an imminent climate catastrophe.

Sadly, most of our politicians are more concerned about saving our capital markets than saving the planet - judging by at least two pieces of legislation awaiting final readings.
These are Shane Jones' NZ Infrastructure Commission Bill and David Parker's Venture Capital Fund Bill, both designed to attract speculators to the bourse in the hope they may, like the alchemists of yore, turn lead into gold.

A reminder to politicians and protesters alike about the original Greek word: "oikonomia" from which "eco-nomics" is derived, i.e. the careful management of household resources for the benefit of all its members over the long term. This also applies to our planet's ecological resources and ought to be reflected in our monetary system.

So instead of waiting around for lengthy reports from yet more teams of talking heads while our environment is threatened, we could and should demand the immediate allocation of nil-interest credits from our sovereign Reserve Bank to fund the projects needed right now.

Admittedly not politically correct, but legally, ethically, culturally and economically correct.
HEATHER MARION SMITH
Gonville

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