Whanganui letters: Why did the aviary get into such a poor condition?

Has the Whanganui District Council done a good job on the rates? Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui District Council, in setting our rates, has this modus operandi.

First, council spokespeople publicise an outrageous potential rate rise – a shock and awe – then by “finding savings” the council reduces this figure to another outrageous figure, knowing that the majority of citizens will accept this as better than the rate rise first proposed.

Second, the council highlights a service or facility it knows citizens will understand. The council proposes cutting it “to save rates” but citizens’ opposition brings it back in. Then an average rate of 8.3 per cent is approved and councillors say “We have done a good job on rates”.

Why did the aviary even get into such a poor condition, why the airport CEO - who knew we needed one - needs to employ consultants to tell airport users landing fees are going up and why there is a never-ceasing demand on rates for the Sarjeant Gallery when we were initially told no rates for this project are questions that never get the light of day.

I believe my rates are going up an average of 12.8 per cent and that is only the average so some will no doubt be higher. No wonder I cannot afford to give up work.

MURRAY WOODHOUSE

Aramoho

Good artists get a lot of respect

Finn Williams (Opinion, June 23) has a rant that the public doesn’t give artists the respect they deserve. He seems to be forgetting that artists who are actually good artists get a lot of respect and people travel around the world to admire their work.

He believes artists, who are actually self-employed, should be paid a living wage by the taxpayer; in other words, paid to play, not to work. Everyone would like to be on that lark.

Some artists think you can bend a spoon into some shape and call it art and it is art. Dream on.

We non-artists look at good art and admire the skill required to create such work, work being the operative word. Most just have a play and expect us to judge it as a work of art.

GARTH SCOWN

Whanganui

Location, location, location

More new houses for Whanganui has to be good news (News, June 16) but why out there in the back of beyond?

We need homes where children can walk to school, parents can cycle to work and there’s a dairy close by. Let’s hope there’s a plan for another Tide-style bus so these people don’t have to drive everywhere.

ANGELA STRATTON

Whanganui