Horrific report should leave us all ashamed
A court report in your newspaper (18.2.25) recounted horrific beatings to two four-month-old puppies by a Palmerston North man, inflicting dreadful injuries on them.
The tragic reality of all this had these canines remained with their monster owner they would have remained loyal to him as dogs are known to do regardless.
Plainly this was sadism in its worst form inflicted by an individual with an agenda of gratuitous violence. Upon vulnerable animals unable to protect themselves, defence lawyers will put up all types of lame-brained arguments to get their clients off the hook.
However, this man should not ever be allowed anywhere near animals again. Persons of such character are an abomination to all of decent society, reinforcing that mankind is every creature’s worst threat to survival, a statistic of which many should hang their heads in shame.
Water woes
We are told once again (Opinion ODT 17.2.25) that the Ngāi Tahu lawsuit to be awarded "guardianship" of all freshwater in South Island is a good thing.
In practice, what this "partnership" would mean is that anyone seeking a water permit would need to win iwi support, or else face long delays or outright denial in the approval process.
The sensible response of applicants would be to reach a financial settlement with Ngāi Tahu in advance. That's exactly what Genesis and Meridian did last year to smooth the repermitting of the Waitaki hydro system, at a price of about $100 million, according to BusinessDesk.
Ngāi Tahu has no right to set itself up as a gate-keeper for water permitting for the entire South Island. In return for $170m and other concessions in the agreement with the Crown in 1998, Ngāi Tahu acknowledged settlement of all claims.
Yes, we have serious freshwater problems. We elect regional councils that have the power to deal with them. If democracy doesn't work, make it work.
Mike Sweeney
"Genesis has coal on standby", according to the ODT today (19.2.25). So is it back to no alternative fuels to generate electricity?
Yet later last year the paper noted that that torrefied wood pellets would do the job with far less carbon emissions than coal, that 1000 tonnes of torrefied wood pellets had to be imported from Canada, and that Huntly Power Station would be happy to use this instead of coal.
Since then an Australian entity has offered to establish a plant in the Bay of Plenty to manufacture pellets, processed mostly from forestry waste products and low-grade logs.
The Foresta Group had applied for resource consents to set up a plant within a couple of years, but not a word since.
Or has the mainstream media neglected to bring up the questions. A tonne of coal emits nearly four tonnes of CO₂. Wood chip about 200 kgs p/t
Who is backing climate change? Certainly nor Genesis.
Shape up or ship out
Ratepayers should not be paying the legal expenses of the Town Clerk. If the Town Clerk, whom the ratepayers pay about half a million dollars a year, cannot behave herself in a civil manner, then she should pay her own expenses.
Shape up or ship out is the usual solution. Perhaps the mayor needs to sort his staff out.
The lack of respect, trust and transparency
Full consultation means to include all the details of the said topic, subject matter or issue with no decision to be made until the person or people involved or affected by it are fully informed.
How can the newly-elected President of America, Donald Trump simply ring the leader of Russia, President Putin with no consultation with the leader of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy or the leaders of the European Nations, to come up with ways to end the war in Ukraine?
Closer to home Mark Brown, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, after covert meetings with China, has flown to their country and signed an agreement with them with no consultation with his people or the New Zealand government.
This is just a couple of examples of the lack of respect, trust, and transparency with failing democracy.
These examples are a warning to everyone to be aware of the need to keep democracy alive in their own country and community with authentic consultation at the helm.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@odt.co.nz
