Okoia
R D MCCALLUM
Alexandra
Proposed Kowhai Park upgrade
My brother and I were there yesterday, the first time in 12 years we have been in Whanganui, and we were remarking how impressive it looked.
It wasn’t just the amazing nostalgic memories it invoked, but also the immaculate presentation it had and we were both amazed at how well it has been preserved.
We thought the pirate ship and castle needed a little bit of love, but loved the additions of the moas, and the musical flowers were great.
I think it would be a huge shame if the original theme and equipment were lost, but would fully support additional pieces/areas being added to give the park a more modern feel.
The fort and flying fox were late additions and they haven’t detracted from the original feel, and there is plenty of grass beside that area to house a modern area.
In Australia the increase of parkour-type play areas, or natural playgrounds, with the inclusion of rocks, tree stumps, water, ropes/climbing, etc would be a great way to go and in keeping with the traditional elements of the park and in keeping with New Zealand’s image globally.
I just got back from a walk through here this morning, and looked at this area, and the skate park, it would be great to see the new park join up with this area (and potentially under the Dublin St bridge) to better use this area and link the mini golf and go karts with the rest of the park.
NICK TRAINOR
Hawthorn, Australia
Nuclear-free stance
A very thoughtful article by Paddy Hantler (Chronicle, September 29) on NZ’s position in the world because of our nuclear-free stance.
This stance was taken at a time when the world was still a bit frightened of nuclear as it was still fresh on people’s minds as to the damage we had all seen that had been unleashed on Japan.
This meant the decision was made more on emotion than real thinking.
We need to produce electricity from nuclear power plants, yet we are in the same position, people are dubious because of accidents at nuclear power plants in Ukraine and Japan.
Nuclear power plants have made big strides in safety and the waste has been minimised, they produce 24-hour-a-day power and can be built where the power is needed.
If we built one near Auckland to produce enough power for Auckland and the Far North, meaning we would not need extra generation for the rest of the country, we would have plenty.
Another beauty is that the power to the substations would be underground, free from storm damage, doing away with unsightly power poles and lines, meaning in the advent of a storm the power keeps flowing.
The nuclear-free legislation is just a piece of writing on paper, easy to change, so we should all mature a bit and go clean green nuclear. If someone decides we are the enemy, nuclear will arrive in NZ whether we want it or not.
GARTH SCOWN
Whanganui
