Moderate drinking and interpreting research
When reading Virginia Nicholls’ recent opinion piece on "moderate" drinking (ODT 24.8.23), attention must be paid to her job as a communication expert paid by New Zealand’s alcohol industry.
The piece brazenly attempts to throw doubt on years of scientific progress which concludes that, on balance, any dose of alcohol is a risk to your health.
Instead, Ms Nicholls maintains the line that moderate alcohol intake is undeniably healthy, relying on people and groups known to be aligned with, you guessed it, the alcohol industry.
Ms Nicholls’ piece is part of a suite of tactics taken to avoid regulation in New Zealand.
Alcohol companies are free to pay lobbyists to meet politicians and to donate to MPs. They deflect effective change with ineffective initiatives, including "self-regulation" of alcohol marketing, and sponsoring education in our schools about "responsible drinking".
In addition, they have taken extensive legal action to block local alcohol policies, leaving communities to carry the costs.
When 800 lives a year are lost to alcohol such self-serving behaviours cannot be tolerated. Interpreting research is best done by those trained to do so.
We need new rules to keep the industry well clear of public institutions, starting with Parliament and schools.
Lay off lamented
I recently read about the inexplicable layoff of yet another prominent and productive staff member at the university, Dr Sung Yong Lee (ODT 26.8.23).
This nibbling away at the mess at Otago is exactly the wrong way to turn around any problematic institution and teaching staff morale must be at an all time low as everyone waits for the Clock Tower guillotine to knock at his or her door.
So far I have seen no indication that there has been any thinning of the bloated administration that has grown wholesale over the last several years. And astoundingly at a time of huge budget deficits, the university is still wasting large amounts of money on a futile and meaningless quest to reach net-carbon-zero by 2030 as well as fine tuning the controversial new logo. To expect the current amateurish leadership to turn Otago around is completely unrealistic since these are the very people who brought about this disaster.
Unbiased review
In the last week or so you have published opinion pieces from two University of Otago academics. I am concerned that these two obvious political activists are tutoring our young people.
My question is, does the university monitor known activists to ensure that they are not misusing their positions to impart biased ideas into the minds of young and impressionable students?
My other concern is that students who do not "buy in" to whatever ideology is being imparted are not unfairly treated by the particular tutor.
We do have a problem world wide with university academics being captured by unproven and bogus ideologies which cannot stand up to unbiased scrutiny.
Everything taught at university should be completely fact based and able to stand up to rigorous, contested and unbiased review.
Villages have merits but read the fine print
In regard to comments in today’s ODT (24.8.23) regarding Summerset’s intention to build a new retirement village in Mosgiel.
The Taieri is a flood plain. Is it wise to be providing housing for older people here? Even if they are fit and well when they arrive, ageing does occur and we become a little or a lot less able to manage difficult situations. Retirement villages operate under a system of self care, independent living so the response from our village operator was we would need to rely on the emergency services as staffing levels are not sufficient to help us all.
I would also advise anyone considering moving to a retirement village to read the fine print very, very carefully, as the glossy brochures do not give the full picture of the financial situation and the Occupation Right Agreement is slanted to the owner’s benefit. Look for advice from more sources than your lawyer.
There is a lot for village residents to be grateful for: companionship if you desire, activities and pleasant surroundings. But be aware you are going to pay for a lot of that.
The review of the current Act governing regulations is under way and hopefully will result in better terms for residents.
Where are all the marine reserves?
The excellent ODT education supplement (22.8.23) on the sea and marine protection highlights the shameful state of Otago being the only region in New Zealand without a single marine reserve. After nine years of discussion, consultations, forums, surveys, documents, endless meetings and probably well over $1 million spent, we seem to be no closer to having even proposals, let alone a marine reserve.
There is nowhere along Otago or Southland coasts where people can go and see healthy, unfished populations of marine life. Kids are missing out, the general public is missing out and science is a loser too, as there is nowhere to conduct study of paua or crayfish, for example, without the likelihood of the animals being taken. Elsewhere in the country marine reserves have been enjoyed for generations but Otago is literally 50 years behind the times. Why are we so backward? What is holding up progress?
App concerns
I am a teacher who has grave concerns about the education app, Beyond the Birds and Bees, funded by taxpayer dollars. This app is said to be for children from 12 years up, but almost any child will be able to access it. Having uploaded and checked this app, I can only see it as a perfidious tool to encourage young minds to doubt the very essence of who they are.
Quite apart from the advice given on sex, telling children that they can be either male or female, with the language of "assigned at birth" being used, is not only a confusing issue to raise with any kid who has access to a phone or computer, but smacks of grooming.
I suggest that this government "educational" app be fully and publicly investigated. This is just one more thing being added to the questionable philosophies being taught in schools as part of sex education.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@odt.co.nz
