Letters to Editor: funding, DCC, news

The University of Otago. GERARD O’BRIEN

Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including a proposal regarding the government's decision to cut tertiary funding, the recent actions of the DCC, and the contents of the ODT.

Separate humanities and science fund good idea

Having read letters and columns on both sides of the debate regarding the government's decision to exclude the humanities and social sciences from the Marsden Fund, I propose a solution that would please both supporters and opponents.

Perhaps establishing a separate humanities and social science fund along the lines of the National Endowment for the Humanities in the United States would be a good idea.

This fund could be jointly funded by the government, universities and the private sector.

That would allow humanities and social science scholars to access funding for their research while allowing the Marsden Fund to focus on the STEM disciplines.

As a history and politics graduate, I think that the humanities and social science contribute to the pool of human knowledge as well as social, cultural and economic development.

They can help us develop critical thinking, writing and oratory skills while understanding how the past shapes the world that we live in. Sometimes this research can raise difficult questions about how society operates.

I understand there is concern in the West that some humanities and social science research has contributed to division and identity politics.

However let's not throw the baby out with the water.

The humanities and social science fund could be named after notable New Zealand scholars such as the historians Michael King and Keith Sinclair, the lawyer and politician Apirana Ngata and anthropologist Peter Buck.

Andrew Lim

Shiel Hill

Unjustified

I totally agree with Andrew Simms' evaluation of the financial discipline (or lack of) of the Dunedin City Council. Ms Barker thinks to say the statement "shrugging of shoulders" is offensive.

Well no, actually it is not. Like it or not, it is the way the council is perceived and perhaps the councillors need to address that themselves.

Having rate increases higher than the rate of inflation and spending money on $600,000 playgrounds in George St, and quarter of a million dolars in legal fees on getting its chief executive to behave is not the way to go about that.

Councillors may think they are doing well by going through budgets "line by line" but at the end of the day that is what they are paid to do, and the result is the same, financial ill-discipline.

No-one can ever justify the spending of over half a million dollars on a playground no matter how much they protest that is was a financially responsible, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Dianne Davey

Dunedin

Expecting another article

Sir Ian Taylor sure seems to get plenty of editorials in the ODT.

Possibly because he always picks controversial issues, then adds a couple of comments bordering on race-baiting just to spice things up a bit.

Unfortunately, his articles inevitably end up with him bagging the current government.

Luxon and Seymour are his usual targets, but last week he aimed at the police minister because he disagreed with him getting tough on gang members' behaviour at funerals.

It's hard to follow why Sir Ian voted National at the last election, only to spend the next 12 months complaining about them.

I am expecting another article from him following the news that the "disrespectful" haka in Parliament has been referred to the Privileges Committee, along with comments that Luxon may not bother going to the Waitangi celebrations.

Bruce Forrester

Invercargill