Oil, coal, and bringing NZ to its knees
The article, "Bid to restart Marsden Pt oil refinery" (ODT, 24.4.23), again highlights the stupidity of politicians who, in the face of growing uncertainty of supply of refined oil products, chose to dismantle with unseemly haste the only means New Zealand had of guaranteeing supply of those products.
Add to that the banning of further oil exploration within this country and the locking up of known oil reserves here, and the question has to be asked, why are these politicians seemingly set on deliberately putting the country at the greatest possible risk of immobilising all transport?
Then there's the matter of importing dirty Indonesian coal while high-quality West Coast coal is also locked up.
Adopting Sherlock Holmes' approach that when you eliminate all other possibilities what remains must be the answer, I can only conclude that those in power want to bring New Zealand to its knees. Why?
Townhouses unwelcome
The mind boggles. Three early family homes in a family-friendly leafy neighbourhood demolished to be replaced with 24 cheap two-bedroom townhouses.
One has to ask how could that many squeeze in, but more importantly, at what cost to the environment and to the existing family homes in that part of Mornington?
Presumably, this block of 24 will be multi-storeyed, which crammed into a three-house-sized section, couldn’t help but shade every house in the vicinity — not to mention views — which must devalue every house in the block and the neighbourhood in general.
For the sake of every home or heritage building in Dunedin, the Environment Court should be taken to court itself for what it has allowed to happen by overriding local planning rules.
We are not just any old city that some government department says developers can destroy whatever they want. This is Dunedin — a heritage city in its own right.
Most of us live here because it has character and soul. And we want to keep it that way.
Join together again
The city has joined together to fight hospital cuts. Let’s remain united to fight university cuts because it’s not what we want for our city.
Any cuts to the university directly impact on us.
There are many concerns. Will the courses that might be cut come back, will students stay in our city if their courses go and will academics come back if their jobs go? The impacts of this could last for years.
Otago University is in a very awkward position.
My heart goes out to academics, students, businesses and people in our city who will all feel the brunt of these cuts.
Dawn service
Another great turn out at the Anzac dawn service and encouraging to see all ages and family groups attending.
My only disappointment was that the usual Bible readings were replaced with two personal war service accounts.
I hope this new format is not another victim of the PC brigade who also brought an end to the shouldering of arms and volley of shots fired by the cadets who parade faithfully every Anzac Day.
Gun control claim blurs the issue dishonestly
Mr Hore’s identification and clarification of the control issues for firearms in private ownership in New Zealand (18.4.23) is accurate in that ensuring the owner is fit and proper surpasses any possible controls envisaged. Control of potential misusers is one part of the problem. The other is the attempt made by well-meaning but inept politicians bent on being "seen to do something" after a hideous act of terrorism, to burden licensed firearm owners by imposing controls upon them, their clubs and shooting ranges, all of which have been subject to long-standing controls. Comparisons with other societies, beset by extremes of polarisation, poverty, deprivation and drug abuse, are inappropriate because New Zealand lacks the divisions over firearm matters found elsewhere. The application of human characteristics to firearms when it is demonstrably their human misusers (as it is with motor vehicle misuse) merely serves to blur the issue and is intellectually dishonest.
Sign scheme best idea seen so far for issue
I would like to congratulate the two guys from Live Sign who were featured in a recent article (ODT, 20.4.23) for their innovative concept that would help eliminate or at least reduce the amount of corflute (corrugated plastic board) that ends up in landfill every day.
As a past sign company owner and longtime board member of the New Zealand Sign Association, I know first hand what a serious problem this is.
I and others have tried many times to get councils across the country to recognise the issue and assist with recycling but none are interested.
Tens of tonnes are scrapped every year and there is only one recycling point in Auckland who charge exorbitant prices to handle the stock, not to mention the cost of getting it there.
In short this is the best idea I have seen so far and with elections just around the corner more plastic will end up being dumped.
I wish the owners well and hope all responsible real estate firms will make the effort to convert at least part of their sign inventory to this sound, reusable option.
Smile and wave
When I first read about entrepreneur Ross McCarthy’s wave pool (ODT, 20.4.23), I was amazed he claimed it was a world first.
At least 10 years ago I saw a wave pool in Kathu Potong, Thailand.
The waves it produced were about 1.5m and was extremely popular.
Ross McCarthy, YourWave replies.
Our claim is not that this is the world’s first standing wave but the world’s first YourWave.
Our technology is a world’s first and has been fully designed and patented in-house. YourWave is the first standing wave to use inflatable technology to adjust the wave form and wave size.
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