Letters to Editor: film, DOC, worms

With the film industry unleashed on Oamaru in full force, the benefits are obvious for the economy of the town and the nation, as well as the potential for growth in the future.

 

A question arises however. How is it that Oamaru continues to be used as a proxy for places in the United States, with the stars and stripes flying over Harbour St as we speak, or as Prague as a former film location, when New Zealand stories are not being told? 

 

There are New Zealand film-makers descended from the stone masons who built Oamaru and Dunedin, with New Zealand stories ready to go, telling the actual stories around the buildings currently being used by foreign film makers for their own stories.

 

The Film Commission and NZ on Air have a lot to answer for. TVNZ is unwatchable for a lot of people. 

 

NZ on Air, "our stories, our voices" supposedly, highly suggestive of its function, but still unable to get together a good period drama, when there are stories being rejected by it and unable to get finance. 

 

The programming is indeed at a low ebb with weak, simplistic reality shows and stories set in other countries.

 

Oamaru

 

Your editorial (15.1.25) regarding charging for national park entry in New Zealand stated that locals are not charged for entry to national parks in Australia.

 

A quick 30-second fact-checking found that New South Wales in fact does charge fees. There are daily fees and annual passes into the parks, up to $A258 per year for an annual pass to all parks in the state.

 

Western Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania also have park fees. 

 

It would not hurt for an entry fee to be charged to national parks in New Zealand, maybe a discounted fee for locals and a higher fee for visitors as it is for places like the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi.

 

We use the national parks and enjoy the facilities and the freedom to explore this beautiful country, so why not do our bit to help with the upkeep of these wonderful places?

 

Kenmure

 

 [We apologise for this error. We have corrected the online version and thank Mr Tipper for pointing the mistake out. Editor.]

 

Thank you Noel O' Malley (Opinion ODT 5.1.25) for bringing our attention to the Regulatory Standards Bill. It seems David Seymour is hoping to get this through by stealth.

 

It's worrying National is likely to support this Bill. 

 

This Bill is against everything most New Zealanders believe to be just and fair.

 

Ocean View

 

 

Your correspondent Tony Fitchett (Letters ODT 7.1.25 ) should have checked his facts when he wrote in to whinge about rodeos. They are not banned in Australia, Canada, Brazil or the United States.

 

Rodeos are not traditional sports in Europe so probably haven't existed to be banned. It appears that Germany does have some limited rodeos. 

 

Rodeos are a sport descended from traditional farm practices and in some of the "big sky" countries with large stations or ranches you will find similar techniques still used today .

 

I would suggest to Tony that he gets a stiff drink and watches some re-runs of Yellowstone.

 

Clinton

 

I was pleased to see the article in the ODT (10.1.25) on the campaign by On Lee Lau to have the velvet worm (Peripatus) become "Bug of the Year". 

 

As the article states, Dunedin does have a peripatus reserve in Caversham valley, due largely to a campaign by Dave Randle in 2012. This reserve was gazetted by the Dunedin City Council as a peripatus reserve, to help reserve this rare and moderately obscure creature, which has a lineage of at least 500 million years.

 

There were fine words by the council. However, this reserve totals approximately 1.3ha, hardly generous.

 

Large trees have been felled, opening the canopy to sunlight and wind.

 

This is a creature which requires moist, damp conditions, and this destruction has effectively reduced the already small area by about a third. 

 

If this development of the proposed 26 sections goes ahead without modification the city may as well write off the reserve as an effective means of preserving these creatures.

 

I hope this campaign focuses more attention on this (our) reserve and requires the city council to impose adequate restrictions on the proposed development.

 

Mornington