"We could all make inferences based on the layout of the survey eg. some might argue that council's preference is the status quo since it's listed as Option A. The truth is, we're simply interested to hear the views of the public prior to making a decision. Full disclosure - I'll be voting for Option C."
It seems we are expected to assume the first five sentences are him speaking as a councillor and the sixth is his own view.
The survey was not a vote, it was an opinion - only councillors vote.
Jim White
Whanganui
- Edited
Parking age unfriendly
I had to read it twice - what our mayor, Hamish McDouall, said about Whanganui could become a model city for the elderly and make the district aged-friendly. This is some sort of a joke that belongs on Jono and Ben or Seven Days, surely?
The Whanganui District Council are going to remove my parking card next year, as of January 2019, which allows me to park Monday to Friday, from 8am to 11am, for free. They are going to charge me $15 for a card in 2019.
I would like to know how much money this is going to raise for Hamish and the council. This is one elderly driver who will not be paying the $15 to the money-grasping council. I will just feed the parking meters.
R A Bould
Whanganui
He's that common sense guy
I have been called many things but never lacking in common sense.
I'm the guy that recommends extra insulation, efficient light bulbs, and Energy Star appliances.
I'm also the guy that warns people against mis-spending their dollars on home renovation and improvement. Although this may not qualify as "common sense", I see a massive amount of mis-spending in this area due to a lack of understanding, bad advice, and misleading advertising. I consider it common sense to defer to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) on the matter of solar. EECA's senior technical adviser Christian Hoerning, who I have spoken with often, warns against misleading claims as in a recent article:
"People that are interested in solar are confronted with a lot of conflicting and confusing information. In most cases, it will take many, many years to break even. They're not economic at this stage. However, prices have been dropping over the years and it may be that we get a point where the economics for these systems look more favourable than they currently do."
Consumer NZ gives the same advice as EECA. If you want to cut your mains power and live off the grid with solar and batteries like Jango, that's fine, but I don't think most people would consider it common sense. Please see my article in the current issue of Organic NZ for a common sense approach to solar power.
Nelson Lebo
Okoia
Fears expressed
What do we expect of our newspaper, the Chronicle? Is readership permanently in decline, not helped by the new phenomena "social media"? Is the time of "online" upon us and paper is merely for advertisements and wrapping fish and chips?
If that is the case, who will do the investigative journalism of the past as we punch our mobile phones and Google our days away? Is this the "fake news" that abounds? I live on Durie Hill, so no flood risk here, no bus service either - and now no lift and traffic chaos at the riverbank below with snail's pace repair progress.
Our rates keep rising, though. Why is that and, please, no "spin"?
Junior doctors don't want to come to Whanganui, so that's not new as in the past we had some 93 per cent of doctors at the hospital from overseas. A judicial ruling on a council "failing to consult widely enough"is a warning. Referendum debate is essential and Letters to the Editor my solace.
Ken Crafar
Durie Hill
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Chronicle readership is actually increasing, as each week we have more and more online readers. In fact, more people read the Chronicle news (in print and online) than ever before.
