Letters: Council should focus on trees that are causing problems

A healthy tree felled in Third Ave. Photo / Supplied

I was interested in the article about the city council's felling of a healthy tree (News, June 10).

At the top of Mitchell St, Greerton, there are two oak trees; one an english oak, the other a pin oak. Because they are different varieties they each shed their leaves at different times, determining the residents within shedding distance to be knee deep in acorns and oak leaves for seven months of the year.

These trees are well over 100 years old and though they were once protected that protection was removed about seven years ago and a petition to remove the trees presented to the council which then called for objections.

There was one objection from a member of the public - someone who obviously had not had years of sweeping and slip-sliding on banks of leaves and acorns.

Climate change is another problem with worsening storms accompanied by violent winds there could be a possibility, with aging roots, those trees may come down on to one of the surrounding homes.

It would be helpful, in my view, if the council would concentrate on trees that are really causing trouble and that could be a danger to residents, but no doubt the tree owners will wait until some elderly person slips on the acorns or the thick wet banks of leaves and breaks a hip before anything is done.
(Abridged)

Gwyneth Jones
Greerton

Closure needed

Over the past few weeks, we have seen and heard vast sums of money chucked around our country, millions, billions of dollars.

So why are we now quibbling about a few dollars to bring closure to a very sad chapter of our lives here in New Zealand?

I am, of course, referring to the awful tragedy of Pike River Mine.

The promise was given to bring this closure to each and every family member who had lost a loved one on that day and closure means laying to rest the remains of the lost.

This is not something that may be tossed around at question time, this is a holy covenant, a promise made to return and give a proper burial to the lost souls of Pike River, it is something that no Kiwi can deny or turn away from, it is a commitment we all must honour.
Jim Adams
Rotorua