Look out the window and see the problem
Last week you reprinted an article by Jo Moir, political editor on RNZ, on the bids received to establish charter schools (ODT 16.8.24). Seventy-eight applications have been received from people keen to "free themselves from the shackles of the state system" according to their architect, David Seymour.
Meanwhile, on the parliamentary lawn, students from one of New Zealand’s fine public schools, Wellington Girls’ College, were trying to conduct a normal school day, working at desks set out in the open. Classrooms in a building at their school had received an earthquake resiliency rating of less than 15%, which practically guarantees collapse in the earthquakes that will strike Wellington.
Maybe today. Maybe in 20 years. It is not a case of if but of when.
Students will be at risk, as they were when the CTV building collapsed in Christchurch, condemning 115 people to agonising deaths trapped beneath inadequately engineered concrete and steel.
My granddaughter was one of the girls trying to work on the parliamentary lawn last week.
Meanwhile down here in Dunedin, two other granddaughters are attending a high school where black mould and leaking have rendered whole blocks unfit for habitation by students and staff who risk respiratory illnesses in such an environment.
Across the country hundreds of schools have had repairs initiated by the Labour government reduced in scope by the National government or stopped in their tracks.
Now, Mr Luxon and Ms Willis are cheerfully diverting $153 million from the education budget to fund Mr Seymour’s ideological whimsy.
I’d suggest that Luxon, Willis, Seymour et al give up twiddling with cellphones and take a look out the office window. They might take note of students who are doing their best to achieve excellence on the lawn downstairs.
[Abridged — length. Editor. ]
Beyond compare
I would like to comment on the letter from James Irwin (17.8.24) in which he supports the previous letter from Lou Scott (10.8.24) regarding the poor treatment of Māori by European colonists. He uses the analogy of supposing the Japanese had conquered New Zealand in the last war, how would we feel if that had happened to us Europeans?
Talk about comparing apples with melons: his analogy shows a very poor knowledge of modern history.
To enlighten him on a few things that would have happened if the Japanese had conquered New Zealand as experienced in other Japanese c o-prosperity countries: the local indigenous population would have been immediately used as slave labour, where they would be worked to death; the local Chinese population would have been very harshly treated; the Kempeitai would have been unleashed to root out, torture and kill non-believers in the new co-prosperity sphere; there would have been no Treaty.
How anyone can compare the benevolent behaviour of the British Empire to the behaviour of the Japanese Empire is beyond me.
Political doctrine
So Act New Zealand want to target female beneficiaries for having children whilst on the benefit. I never thought eugenics would ever have become part of our political doctrine.
Abhorrent. What's next, forced sterilisation?
Do not underestimate the creativity of youth
I relieved a class on Friday. The school was short on staff, and as I have recently identified myself as a people pleaser I decided to help. That’s the kind of thing that happens when you have faith and support in your job.
It was a senior dance class, and I had danced in my time when out and about. After showing them my dance video on the fancy projector, I decided I’d better follow the work that was set. Level 1, The Dystopian Society. Students were to revise and continue to edit their evaluation of their recent routine based on the above.
Very cool, I thought, and strangely relevant in these times. How do you communicate such a theme in a team of two, as they were grouped that way? How did they even understand such a concept, I asked.
Well, they did. They showed me their research (bad things, those societies) and then their own dance. Starting bound at the hands, they lunged and squirrelled in a performance that was impressive, sensitive, definitely athletic, and managed to demonstrate a narrative on a sophisticated theme.
These kids are 14 or 15. We should not underestimate them, and the intelligence that they will bring to any task, when motivated. Oh, and the creativity.
Where are the flowers?
For the last few years Dunedin and Mosgiel used to have thousands of flowering daffodils on our roadsides during late August.
Due to some reason, it appears that someone has prematurely mowed the grass verges where the daffodils used to be present.
Presently the roadsides are only sparingly populated by daffodil flowers.
Did someone decide to nip out the daffodils in their buds or I am imagining things in my old age?
Plea to save pool supported by readers
Congratulations to Barb and Geoff Anderson on their article "Soothing waters need an urgent revival" (Opinion ODT 14.8.24) for highlighting the dire situation with the potential permanent closure of the Dunedin Physio Pool.
Our community deserves continued access to this important health and rehabilitation pool which is conveniently located close to the hospital. Previously I have used the pool when recuperating from sporting injuries and found the pool accelerated my recovery. Surely reopening this pool makes sense from a health, financial and environmental perspective?
If we wait for a new pool to be built we may be waiting a very long time.
I am fully in support of Geoff and Barbara Anderson’s plea to restore Dunedin’s Physio Pool.
As a community physiotherapist, I have a number of current patients who would greatly benefit from hydrotherapy, who are simply unable to make it to Dunedin’s other, less-suitable pools.
Please save our physio pool.
The benefits of the physio pool are vast and include pain relief, relaxation, improved movement, balance, co-ordination and strength. The physio pool allows our community to be proactive for our wellbeing, injury management and maintenance of movement.
In a climate where frontline services have long waiting lists, a proactive approach utilising exercise would be most prudent. After all, prevention is better than cure.
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