Your views: Readers' letters

Warmer homes

Nelson Lebo's recent letter saying that house design was a matter of "common sense" -- whatever that means -- is easily disproved by the history of house-building in New Zealand.

It was common sense that houses were built of native timber that rendered them extremely cold in winter, were poorly orientated to the sun, and were often very draughty, if not damp. Decades of scientific research, not common sense, have paved the way for regulations that make even your basic new modern house warm, dry, comfortable, and relatively easily maintained. Sophisticated systems like PassivHaus may not be to everyone's liking, but it's one system that is a step up in quality design over standard houses.

The reason for having professionals like architects and architectural designers, builders and engineers is that building just about anything of a decent standard has never been "common sense" but involves plenty of training and experience, research, knowledge and design ability across a very wide spectrum of issues from land use, layout planning, interior design to a host of technical decisions on all the materials that go into a building.

A quality builder knows how to put all these pieces together to ensure a high-quality end product. We have professions like these because they do a better job than a "common sense" approach by an amateur.

Seems to be a common trap to think that "anyone can design, and anyone can build".

ROBERT JAUNAY
Whanganui

Don't blame refs

Get over it and get on with the game.

Who doesn't complain about referees? How would you like to do their job? No way, so get over it and get on with it.

I am talking about rugby, but sailing is no different.

All I can say to our Kiwi boys and girls in whatever sport we are playing is: Go the Kiwis.

And I am very proud to cheer them on.

GARY STEWART
Foxton Beach

Backing Trump

There seems to be an almost universal meltdown and condemnation of US President Donald Trump for pulling out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. In reality, there is actually a lot of support for his decision, especially by people who know what this agreement said.

If the agreement was really about reducing CO2 levels and saving the planet, how come some of the worst polluters on the planet who are signatories to the agreement are not required to reduce their emissions?

Meanwhile, the US and European nations are not only meant to reduce their emissions substantially but also to pay billions of dollars every year to "less developed countries".

There is no surprise that countries like India, China, or North Korea are happy to sign up to this agreement; they do not have to reduce emissions, they are likely to receive free money, and their main economic competitors are being hobbled by both emission reductions and coughing up the millions.

As we watch celebrities and political hacks, like Leonardo DiCaprio and former President Barack Obama, claim that President Trump is destroying the planet, it is worth asking how seriously these people take CO2 reduction? Especially when these same people keep flying around the world on private jets, pouring more pollution into the atmosphere per year than most of us could manage in our whole lives.

It is worth keeping in mind that the Paris Agreement was not going to achieve anything for the environment, and that pulling out of the agreement does not mean the US won't continue to address its own levels of pollution. It is a pity New Zealand has not followed the US's leadership in this area.

K A BENFELL
Gonville

Coastal claims

I wonder how many New Zealanders are aware that, under National's Marine and Coastal Area Act 2011, just by registering a claim to the coastline, tribal groups pick up important rights -- to be notified of any developments in their claimed area -- and can get paid mining royalties (backdated to the lodgement of claim) if their claim is approved.

Further, the approx 600 claimants are eligible for $8.45 million of taxpayer funding to assist with their claims, while a $110 fee is imposed on anyone who wishes to file an objection with the High Court.

Therefore, tribal groups have good incentives to lodge claims, regardless of how frivolous. Some lodged claim applications seek the right to "take" dolphins and whales, penguins and seals, mine the area for minerals and extract sand -- free rein to exploit our coasts.

As New Zealand Herald columnist Fran O'Sullivan wrote on February 6, 2010, "Park the charming stories about the customary connections that Maori enjoy with the foreshore and seabed, what's really at stake are the big bucks that can be earned from commercial activities such as marine farming, mining, iron sands or even clipping the ticket on revenue from offshore gas and petroleum deposits."

New Zealanders should vigorously oppose all claims.

GEOFF PARKER
Whangarei