No district should be left behind — mayor
In the article on the unwinding of Te Pūkenga (ODT 9.12.23), I note that former CEO Phil Ker was pleased to see that Otago Polytechnic will have an opportunity to re-establish itself.
My response to that is to ask those involved in this next version, to be more mindful that they work on behalf of all of Otago.
History shows that when the going got tough for the former entity, they left the Waitaki District. It was particularly grating during the disestablishment of Otago Polytechnic that the argument put forward against that was that they were financially secure. I guess that is more achievable when loss-making areas are simply abandoned.
Let's hope the new version of Otago Polytechnic takes its name and its role more seriously than it did last time.
Treaty revisionism
The ODT article (4.12.23) by Peter Thompson discusses the perception of political and racial bias of the PIJF and misinformation. This column added to the spread of misinformation.
Nowhere in the preamble, articles and diary notes of participants was the term partnership and dual sovereignty mentioned in the 1840 Treaty and 1860 follow-up. It is time to stop treaty revisionism. The Treaty was a very clear and precise document well thought out by both English and Māori statesmen who considered the divisions that dual sovereignty, partnerships, unequal rights and a non-democratic administration would produce.
Show maturity
It would indeed show the government's maturity if it changed tack on its proposed changes to Labour's anti-smoking law, as your editorial points out (ODT, 7.12.23).
But in any case, doesn't a public health issue as serious as smoking control deserve a bipartisan approach, rather than being treated as a political football?
If Shane Reti said in August that National mostly agreed with the new law but disagreed solely with its implementation plan, why can't the government concentrate on changing just that part of it, bring its reconsidered proposals before Parliament, and then open them up to a conscience vote? Why should everything be viewed as either black or white, and in such an important matter why should one major party not be willing to acknowledge that its opponent got something right?
Not a personal choice
What a feeble excuse to say that smoking is simply a personal choice. It may start as that — if you ignore peer pressure, addiction (and harm) caused by passive smoking, lack of education, attempts to calm the nerves when stressed. All those contributed to my beginning smoking. I support any efforts to save others from that addiction and its deadly health impact.
At least proceed with reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes. Failure to do even that shows that Big Tobacco is pulling the government's strings, along with an immoral greed for taxes at the expense of citizens' health.
Leonard Cohen weighs in
With the atrocities happening in Gaza it's obviously over-simplistic to wonder that if the United States stopped selling its weapons of mass destruction to the Israelis there could be a ceasefire once they ran out of ammunition. Seems the US is making money while hundred of thousands of people are being killed — just as long as it’s not on their patch. In the words of Leonard Cohen "While the killers in high places say their prayers out loud."
Exciting museum plans, but where will it all fit?
I read with interest this morning (ODT 9.12.23) about exciting plans to build a new museum in Cromwell.
Sticking a 1970s-style edifice on our War Memorial grounds is hardly an occasion for joy. The older part of Cromwell was flooded, so the whole situation is much more jumbled than otherwise.
Old Cromwell Town has museum facilities nearby. There are plans to incorporate aspects of our Chinese history into the picture.
As a local historian I have been a part of this picture longer than most. I am still waiting for face-to-face meetings and workshops to see where everything will fit into what is a spectacular landscape.
Heritage pioneers in Cromwell helped with the heavy lifting to get the rail trail and cycle trails in the first place. To rush past our local interests and treat us like local yokels is stressful. The changes in Cromwell have been traumatic for some. Why spend our valuable local resources to make this much more apparent?
Unfortunate divide as we are all us
If you were born here you are automatically a citizen of New Zealand.
If you come here from other countries and are granted citizenship, you are then New Zealanders. You are no longer Indian, British, Pacific Islander etc, but one of us. We welcome you to our way of life.
On March 15, 2019 the horrific Christchurch mosque attacks occurred. Jacinda Ardern, our prime minister at that time, said the people that were killed and injured were New Zealanders. They are us and because they are us we mourn them.
Being New Zealanders we are free and live in a democratic country. It is unfortunate that we still have a divide of Māori and non-Māori. With the change in government and policies that seem to disadvantage Māori, as they see it, has caused unrest. Christopher Luxon has said that the coalition will govern for all New Zealanders, including Māori. For our country to go forward we need to be united and being nothing more or less than a New Zealander would be a great start.
We are us.
We worked it out
Winston Peters and his camp followers say their campaign to expunge te reo names from government agencies is because "communication is about comprehension and understanding".
However, communication, even in English, is about more than the literal meaning of the words. If not, many people would assume that the New Zealand Transport Agency sold bus tickets, rather than ran the roading network. Who amongst us knows what the Department of Internal Affairs actually does, or what is meant by "internal" in that context?
And, despite Mr Peters’ protestations, most non-Māori-speaking New Zealanders have managed to work out that Te Papa is a museum and have probably forgotten that it is actually The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
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