Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark (left) was a guest speaker at Julian Batchelor’s Stop Co-governance tour in Invercargill on Saturday. PHOTO: BEN TOMSETT
Invercargill mayor called on to resign
After civic leaders such as Bryan Cadogan told Julian Batchelor that he and his racist roadshow were not welcome in their towns and cities, Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark not only rolled out the red carpet for him but delivered a rant that managed to be not only racist but amounted to incitement. I do not care what political opinions Mr Clark holds but I care, very much, when he uses his public office to inflame an audience.
Mayor Clark disgraced his office and the people of the city he represents. I call on him to resign.
Michael Gibson
Invercargill
[Abridged]
Free speech?
On Saturday June 17 I decided that I'd play along with the idea that New Zealand is still a democracy and go along to a public meeting entitled "Stop Co-Governance".
Unfortunately a crowd of yelling, chanting, heckling protesters with a megaphone and a siren prevented the attendees from hearing the speaker. Finally, the proprietors of the venue withdrew their permission for us to be there and the meeting was shut down. The police did nothing to restrain the protesters and pointed out that people (at the present time) have a legal right to protest against anything they oppose.
Yes, of course, but such a basic human right comes from a far higher place than any man-made institution and is therefore much more than a mere legal right. It is an inherent, inalienable, birthright. It stands to reason that one human right, whether from "on high" or merely legal, cannot possibly nullify any other human right — and in this particular case, the simple right to hear a man speak.
Colin Rawle
North East Valley
Same to you
Three words. Pot. Kettle. Black.
I had to laugh at Paul Sabonadiere’s (Letters, 27.6.23) characterisation of the term "right wing" as a "lazy cliche that has become devoid of meaning through its overuse by closed-minded people trying to shut down debates they could otherwise lose." Coming proudly from the left of the political spectrum, I could make exactly the same criticism of the "right wing’s" tiresome misuse of "woke" and "cancel culture".
Max Reid
Mornington
Missed the point
Might I point out to Paul Sabonadiere (Letters 27.6.23), my own letter to the editor (22.6.23) damned the NZCPR, not Sir Apirana Ngata’s words in his interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi. I asked people to think about the reason behind this group’s publication of the lawyer and statesman’s work.
Sue Walthert
Dunedin
Selling the big issue
Hilary Calvert’s column (ODT, 22.6.23) really bit into a big issue about "whether local authorities should sell assets." Of course they should. The sooner they are sold, the better, to reduce debt.
Hilary makes a good point that the DCC and ORC should give ratepayers a regular full account of what they propose for these assets.
The regular post box FYI council publication is simply propaganda. A waste of ratepayers’ money. A newspaper subscription is far more informative.
What about Sammy’s? Its purchase before "due diligence", a thorough examination, was a classic bureaucratic expenditure disgrace using other citizens’ money.
Jim Moffat
Caversham
Get Parliament back to the important issues
Recently there has been a lot of "holier than thou" posturing in Parliament regarding ministers' conflicts of interest with their portfolios. Is it too great a leap of faith to think that our elected members can operate with integrity regardless of their personal financial interests or friendships? Unfortunately history tells us that a small minority have a level of integrity that will see them steal the eye out of your head and then spit in the hole.
The question that should be asked is "did the conflict of interest reflect in decision making?" There is a level of hypocrisy in this debate when a parliamentarian allegedly worth several millions of dollars initiated tax cuts to the wealthy without batting an eyelid. And how can any parliamentarian with any interest in property other than their family home participate in any debate on a capital gains tax? Looking at the list of property interests of our parliamentarians it is easy to see why we don’t have a capital gains tax and why we will probably never have one. Vested interest? Compromised integrity? Holier than thou? Possibly all of these things. Given time Parliament may get back to the important issues.
Peter Scott
Te Anau
Problem solved
For many years I have read about the state of Dunedin Hospital and the lack of money to build a new one, and the state of our roads and streets.
I have it sorted.
Redcastle Rd in Oamaru has become a race track.
Put a speed camera at the end of Buckley Hill and give that revenue to the shortfall at the Dunedin hospital.
Someone is going to get killed sooner or later when you see the stupid things that people do that would be easily fixed.
S. Philips
Oamaru
