Trucks have been leaving loaded with precious historical volumes from the Overseas Published Collection of the National Library during its book cull. Photo / file
Trucks have been leaving loaded with precious historical volumes from the Overseas Published Collection of the National Library during its book cull. Photo / file
Book cull
Most residents likely pass the anonymous, windowless concrete building on Somme Parade without giving it so much as a glance. But those who've been here since the 1970s-80s will remember that after opening in 1976 the national law enforcement database aka the Whanganui computer centre and now WairereHouse, was rarely out of the headlines.
Conspiracy theories and scaremongering didn't start with Facebook and 5G internet towers but in pre-internet days the arrival of a huge computer facility storing individual New Zealanders' details triggered civil liberties concerns that were stoked by the Muldoon Government and the 1981 Springbok tour mass arrests.
Then on November 18, 1982 an astounding act of domestic terrorism put Whanganui and its grim grey building on every news bulletin after a self-styled anarchist blew himself up in a bomb attack on the building's doors.
Unknown to many, it's now at the centre of a huge controversy that has the great and the good, including former Attorney-General Chris Finlayson and ex-PM Helen Clark, along with many academics, scholars and authors, going public with their outrage. This time, the dastardly secret lies in the middle floors of the building where the National Library has long stored some 625,000 precious volumes from the national collection.
But now trucks have been leaving loaded with precious historical volumes from the Overseas Published Collection and the library has spent up large on spin doctors who came up with the cute term "rehoming" for the cull. News that 60,000 books would be "rehomed" via a Lions book fair at Waikanae on election day has upped the ante, so watch this space. CAROL WEBB Whanganui
Your letters
Soil health
I appreciate Mike Philo's taking the time to explain the scientific method to me in his letter (October, 5). In fact I have some understanding of it, having worked as a research scientist most of my life until my recent retirement.
I am interested to note that Mr Philo, having spent some time teaching physics, is not aware that the equation he uses in his original letter is in fact that which encapsulates Einstein's Theory of Relativity which he denies (in his most recent letter) mentioning.
However, I absolutely agree that proper academically rigorous method is the best way to understand how and what we do to our soil. In fact, as he will understand, having earned BioGro Certification (for which I congratulate him), and worked his orchard organically for many years, the methods the Greens promote of soil revitalisation and fertility maintenance are far from the "mystical" techniques he chooses to believe the green horticulturalist would employ.
He may be aware that it has been estimated by leading soil scientists in the UK that Britain has only 30 years of harvest potential left in their soils if they continue with the methods currently employed. Such training institutes as the proposed Green School are long overdue if we are to employ the methods Mr Philo so obviously champions. Please do not assume green teaching is based in the "shocking lack of knowledge" he obviously fears. DIANA MELLOR BSc (hons), MSc Waverley
