Editorial: Can't afford loss of services

OPINION: The loss of services to provincial centres such as Blenheim is a creeping palsy.

Places such as Blenheim can ill afford to lose what services they have.

The latest reduction is at Redwood Village which will lose its full postal service and agency when the Redwood Village Post Shop contract expires in April. There have been no takers for the retail business the shop is within, Take Note bookshop, as the owners seek to retire after 14 years. Some of the Post Shop business will be moved to the Redwood SuperValue supermarket but not all.

The suburb will lose its Kiwibank outlet, plus bill paying services.

Blenheim is also facing the loss of its ACC office because of falling case loads. The work will be transferred to either Nelson or Christchurch.

Apparently there is a reduced need for on-the-spot staff to process and manage claims, because stricter rules have reduced the workload and the Blenheim business could be done elsewhere. What ACC failed to mention when justifying the move was that it had moved cases to Nelson, thus reducing the local office's workload.

Now there has been some reaction to the news that goes along the lines: "Ha ha, you people are always ruining other people's lives, how does it feel to have your security and life exposed to hardship?"

Obviously ACC has a little more work to do with some people in promoting its objectives.

But for Blenheim to lose its ACC office will be a misfortune and there is little room for antagonism towards the service.

Any loss of jobs from the area is bad news. And loss of government service eats away at not only how a province works but also its status.

Now is the time for those with the contacts and standing to start questioning the move. It's not a fait accompli. And if we don't investigate this proposed closure, who knows what will be around the corner?

Paul Henry might not have a clue who Colin King is but Kaikoura's MP is a superstar in the shearing shed. While no longer a young blade, Colin King proved he is still a competitive shearer when in Masterton last week he took out the Golden Shears veteran category. And it was the Golden Shears 50th anniversary this year, no less.

In this part of the world, it's hardly a belly blow if the host of a television breakfast programme doesn't know your name. A black singlet, a pair of moccasins and being handy with a hand piece are more than enough to keep it real.

The Kaikoura MP, for the record, shore six sheep in seven minutes 43 seconds in the final. He was not the fastest but won on quality.

Congratulations, Colin.

- The Marlborough Express

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