Opinion: Bad drivers, TECT cheques, Maori wards

One reader says roads in New Zealand are not inherently dangerous, it's the drivers. Photo/Supplied

Drivers are bad, roads aren't
Malcolm Buchanan (Letters, February 15) has got it absolutely right.

Roads in New Zealand are not inherently dangerous. It's the dangerous drivers who use them that make our annual road toll so abysmal. By international standards I think we have some of the worst drivers in the world.

In addition to the criticisms Mr Buchanan levels at our appalling driving standards we tolerate drivers who must get ahead of other traffic at all costs, consider indicators to be an unnecessary accessory, treat the speed limit as a target and have scant regard for other road users.

I can hear a chorus of sensible drivers agreeing with us but, unfortunately, we are preaching to the converted.

Those who really need to take stock of their driving habits in order to make our roads safer will continue to fob us off as some mindless do-gooders who have nothing better to do but complain.

Maybe we could take some lessons from Singapore where owning a car is an extremely expensive privilege and drivers who transgress road laws, even by the slightest margin, are very heavily fined.

Ian Young
Papamoa

Many things wrong
There are many things wrong with the TECT proposal and the way it has been handled, too many for one mail.

So to pick one area, the reason the trustees presented for the change "uncertainty in the energy sector and solar panels on roofs".

The future for electricity generators and distributors has never been more exciting, cars, buses, ships, trains are all going electric.

The trust has presented no reason at all for this drastic change.

On one hand the trust is saying for the benefit of customers we need to wind up the trust, on the other hand they are saying there will be lots of money to give to charities.

There is no logic at all in the trust's reason for this proposal.

K Beetham
Matua

Read please
Peter Dey never seems to read letters properly.

He goes on about Maori voters not voting for Maori candidates.

Perhaps they choose not to – just as the 60 per cent of Maori who are on the Maori roll chose not to vote for the Maori Party.

The Department of Internal Affairs reports that about 12-13 per cent of all candidates contesting the 2001, 2004 and 2007 local government elections had some Māori ancestry.

Peter Day's figure is 5 per cent for that period.

BOP Regional Council has three elected members who are elected from their constituencies.

He ignores writers who say they have consistently voted for Maori candidates/mayors.

He ignores those who list the number of legislatively imposed consultation iwi representation on council.

He ignores every statute which requires Waitangi consultation especially the RMA.

No other ethnic group has received the monies, land, lakes, rivers, mountains, national parks, beaches governance and titles than Maori.

No other ethnic group receives priority education - especially in subsidised scholarships - housing, hospital and health services. Just how much do you want Mr Dey?

Also when the Crown owned New Zealand's natural assets it never charged, fenced off, closed or denied access to anybody.

Yet according to Mr Dey it is racist to point this out.

R. E. Stephens
Mount Maunganui