Letters 14 June: More than trees

In response to C Jones' question (11/06/13): Do all you people who protested when the trees were being cut down still miss the trees?

Yes, I do miss them. And so do many others. The loss of the trees is an important memory etched in my consciousness.

However, you are incorrect that the protests were all about the trees. We were protesting at the amount of money being thrown at another warrantless roading project, on a road that has seen a decline in traffic over the last 8 years. The project also ignored consultation processes and took public land out of our hands with little conversation. It was never just about the trees.

The increase in people in the park is entirely to do with the new playground - which at least was some compensation for the loss of land. It is excellent to see the park full of people and being used. I look forward to when the council installs toilets there and we can stay all day.

I would also argue that the shade of inner-city trees is essential in a city that has a 10-minute burn time in summer. The tarmac will never replace the biodiversity and shade that has been lost. And as most of the Mander Park trees are deciduous, they lose their leaves in winter and let the sun in to the park.

PS: The hills above the city are full of weeds which are choking our native forest. Will you help us weed them?

Hannah Mitchell / Avenues Resident

Precious and PC

Cartoons are simply an exaggerated view reflecting reality.

Sometimes people get upset because they interpret a parody as a personal affront, others because it may question their beliefs, and others when the cartoon depicts an uncomfortable truth.

The latter would seem to be the case in the most recent incident. Have we become so politically correct and so precious that we can no longer laugh at ourselves?

Some part-Maoris are demanding a redefinition of the word "racism" because they were offended.

Were they equally outraged at Hone Harawira's "white motherf***ers" comment? Or at Margaret Mutu's call to ban all white immigrants?

This appears to be a deliberately orchestrated display of righteous indignation.

I would suggest that racism be defined as follows: Racism is when an ethnic group or individual member of that group is granted a privilege or elevated status above other citizens solely because of their ethnicity, or (alternatively) when an ethnic group or individual is denied a privilege available to another ethnic group and/or its people are penalised or denigrated because of their ethnicity.

There are no longer any full Maori in our country thus all are of mixed heritage, so why do the news media persist in headlines such as, "Sportsperson of Ngapuhi descent wins silver medal."

Why not, "... of Ngapuhi/English descent" or Ngapuhi/Scottish descent"?

Selectively denying one's ancestry is not only self-delusory but also an insult to one's true heritage - a manifestation of racism in disguise.

The race of people that signed the Treaty of Waitangi no longer exists and all who remain are those with predominantly non-Maori ancestry and a belief that they are Maori. We have now entered a world of belief, accompanied by the practice of ancient rituals and incantations.

Maori has become a religion.

Mitch Morgan / Kaipara

Price disparity

For not the first time just prior to a long weekend BP Riverside raises the price of it's petrol while other petrol stations prices remain unchanged.

On Saturday [Queen's Birthday Weekend] BP Riverside's unleaded 91 petrol was $2.12 a litre while two other petrol retailers were $2 a litre and so it remained all the long Queen's Birthday Weekend.

There can be no justification for BP Riverside to be 12 cents a litre more except that it takes advantage of being the only petrol station towards Onerahi until you reach Parua Bay.

Just a rip-off of the motoring public in my opinion.

P Noone / Onerahi