Letters, Feburary 4: Wasting our city's power

In my household we have installed eco bulbs and are working on other ways of reducing our energy use as our contribution to reducing carbon emissions.

But what's the point of doing this when Hamilton, as most cities do, sends "lights spills" into the sky. What a waste of energy.

I hope that ways will be found to use the expertise of Dawood Latif (Waikato Times, January 23) and other lighting experts so that our city makes real reductions in its use of electricity.

MARY ROSE

Hamilton

 

Overseas Key

John Key is rapidly earning the title of minister for overseas holidays. I'm not surprised that Rodney Hide says he does nothing.

Mr Key has spent more than a quarter of the time he has been prime minister overseas – at least half that on holiday. What makes these overseas holidays rather hypocritical is that Mr Key is tourism minister.

While he is urging us to forgo any overseas trip in favour of staying home he gets a nice suntan in Hawaii.

Not the example expected from the minister of tourism.

In her first year in office Helen Clark spent 35 days overseas – all work connected. It's a shame Mr Key does follow the example of Helen Clark's hard-working life. Phil Goff is certainly following her example by spending the parliamentary recess travelling around Aotearoa meeting ordinary people who can not afford holidays in Hawaii.

T JOHN MARSHALL

Cambridge

 

Earth's dilemma

Climate change, peak oil, depleting resources, collapsing marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and more.

We humans are the culprits, selfishly living lifestyles that do irreparable damage to this world we share with all other life.

It is so obvious, yet we do so little. Why?

Is it because we are selfishly stupid and dread any change to our cosy way of life?

We know our Earth is in trouble, yet we follow those with power who have no intention of altering their thinking or unsustainable goals. The cry is growth and progress at any cost. Never mind the future?

Our world's expansion policies are leading us to a worldwide ecosystem collapse and the dominoes are there all lined up awaiting that final shove. Why not join one of the environmental organisations working for a sustainable solution? There is still time. We can all make a difference.

BOB HUGHES

Gisborne

 

Roading budgets

Councils have recently come under scrutiny over spending on new roads. The debate has centred on a so-called discrepancy between funds provided by the New Zealand Transport Agency and those claimed by local government for new road construction.

First I want to make the point local government has been under pressure to restrain rate increases while continuing to invest in local economic activity.

In the four years leading up to June 2008 local councils utilised all their subsidy allocation for road maintenance.

However, they didn't manage to take full advantage of the full subsidy available for road construction over this time for several reasons.

Let's look at some of those reasons:

Maintenance of existing assets and service levels will always be a priority for councils.

Councils plan on a three-year cycle which requires significant and active community consultation. Until June 2008 the New Zealand Transport Agency, on the other hand, planned on a relatively inflexible annual basis.

And finally, councils have in the past faced big shortages of engineers and planners with which to obtain consents and deliver projects.

Since July 1, 2009, however, councils and the New Zealand Transport Agency have entered into a new programming and funding regime with both operating on three yearly cycles. Even more importantly, there is flexibility to move projects around. (Abridged)

GEOFF SWAINSON

Development and infrastructure manager

Local Government NZ

 

Rough justice

I was prompted to write this letter in response to the front page article in the Waikato Times, January 21 edition. It told how Richard Afu arranged a pub crawl with 35 friends from Auckland to Hamilton.

On their return journey Afu and his bus load of friends stopped the bus in Victoria St, and two passengers on the bus hopped out and assaulted innocent bystanders.

They made another stop on their return journey, this time at a bar on State Highway 1 in Ngaruawahia where up to 15 passengers from the bus assaulted bar staff and patrons and used stools as weapons. How did they manage to get this far?

Were the police too busy revenue-gathering on Te Rapa Rd that night to worry about real crime?

Then when sentenced Afu received a measly 200 hours' community service and was ordered to pay $190 in reparation. Does Judge Denise Clark feel this was a fair penalty for orchestrating such an activity?

Justice was only done when a local Ngaruawahia group called the Tribal Huks took matters into their own hands and gave Afu some of his own medicine on the steps of the Huntly courthouse before his sentencing. (Abridged)

JADE HEDGES

Ngaruawahia

 

Left to wonder

I well recall the Crewe murders, how a young couple were found in the Waikato River with bullets in their heads and their infant child left to fend for herself in a bloodstained farmhouse, to which David White, Matamata, referred (Waikato Times, January 27).

Bob Knight (letters, January 19) is quite right – I see nothing wrong with exposing whoever this woman was.

After all, Arthur Thomas spent many years of his life in jail for a crime he did not commit, his marriage broke up, plus the police planted the cartridge case and committed perjury.

What is wrong with the truth? Does David White have a problem with that?

I would love to know the identity of that woman and what her connection to the murders was. I recall Rob Muldoon was prime minister then, and he hushed it all up. We are all left to wonder why.

N CHRISTIAN

Hamilton

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