Ignorance not bliss when it is of history
I am disappointed that many of us are so ignorant about our own history. When I was at school in the 1960s and ’70s the focus was Europe.
I now know a little of our history but need to learn more. It is disappointing that a Dunedin city councillor cannot show enough generosity of spirit and respect to engage with local iwi.
That councillor and his supporters appear not to understand that we have a founding document called the Treaty of Waitangi that has implications for central and local government.
I am really saddened by what is, in my opinion, the overt racism of this government. What gives me hope is that many of our youth are not as narrow-minded as their elders.
Honouring the rich culture of the first peoples of this country does not mean we dishonour the culture of others.
I wonder how the councillor and his supporters would feel if another nation took over our country and treated us poorly?
I can just imagine the letters to the editor if they were actually allowed to have an opinion.
Pack up and leave
If people oppose Māori council wards because they are "undemocratic", or in the case of historically illiterate people "apartheid", then they have an ignorant and redundant view of democracy.
If democracy means that the special places of the Tangata Whenua and Te Tiriti O Waitangi are to be swept away, because most people do not understand these, or are flat-out racist, then you are espousing the tyranny of the majority.
This is the antithesis of an enlightened, modern, bicultural democracy.
We would all be better off in Aotearoa if those who are still colonialist bigots packed up and left for Mar a Lago, where their repressive and racist views would be far more welcome.
Co-operative medicine
Although I agree with Aaron Nicholson (Letters ODT 7.8.24) that there needs to be more co-operatives than corporates I do not believe that the workers at Amazon consider that the company they work for works like a dream nor should anyone who wanted more co-operatives..
And the fact that corporates and the Soviet System can be compared so easily is down to the fact that they are in fact the same system. There is no difference to a collectivised farm in the old Soviet Union and the corporate farming you see quite commonly in the United States but also increasingly in New Zealand to the workers in both who are treated as the slaves that Aaron complains about.
On another topic, well maybe, I think that is inevitable that Waikato will get a medical school. Otago should therefore concentrate on making itself a medical school for the South Island and maybe if they pulled away from the collectivised corporate medicine first advanced by Rockefeller 100 years ago they could pursue a path that can be differentiated from Auckland and Waikato.
[Abridged — length. Editor.]
Getting wet feet over migration reference
The ODT editorial on August 8: "So, on one side of the Channel we have extremist violence while on the other the Paris Olympics brings together people of all races, with heart-warming moments of international unity . . . At this moment, it is a terrible look for England and Northern Ireland. It is a great look for France ... With apologies to Charles Dickens, it really is a tale of three countries."
During the first week of the French Olympiad, 997 people crossed the English Channel from this supposed nirvana of France to the apparent horrors of England. They did so illegally in 16 small boats. None died in the attempt, but most weeks some do. It’s a dangerous business that only occurs because because the relative outcome (France/England) is clearly considerable in the eyes of these people. Is the ODT sure that it’s Dickens they should be apologising to?
Your editorial reads: "At its narrowest point, it is just 32km from Dover to a headland on the French coast between Calais and Boulogne. You could walk it in just over six hours." I wouldn’t want to be in the writer’s shoes.
Lack of action over roaming dogs lamented
The article in the ODT (8.8.24) re the euthanasia of a dog highlights the total lack of action by the council over its dog control signs and the contrasting human attitudes of pet owners. Most walking /cycling tracks round Wānaka have signs with a dog leash pictured and the wording "Dogs must be kept under control at all times".
Having cycled these tracks for many years, I can emphatically state owners of dogs come in two totally different categories. One, the owners who have their dogs on leads, are polite, smile and accept having their dogs under control at all times is a safety matter for both their dog(s) and other track users.
The second group have either a single dog but often multiple dogs running loose. These dogs have been the cause of a number of accidents to many cyclists, including myself and my partner. The attitudes of the owners of these dogs are belligerent, aggressive and stating "we should be more careful".
It is obvious these dog owners feel the health and welfare of their untrained dogs is more important than that of another human being. The councils who are responsible for policing these rules are glorious in their inability to protect their own citizens.
New Zealand does have a wicked two-edged sword which contributes to this type of behaviour: ACC.
It absolves councils, some ski areas, and every other entity which should be covered by health and safety from obvious potential dangers, to continue to act with impunity.
It could be argued that in the workplace, no stone is left unturned to increase the effectiveness of health and safety for workers, in complete contrast to those who are engaged in leisure activities.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@odt.co.nz
