Gisborne letter writers like Grey St changes and river trail extension

Workers put finishing touches to the Taruheru trail extension earlier this month.

Letters to the Editor

OPINION

Enjoying the traffic changes in Grey St

As a regular cyclist along Grey St, I think the traffic changes are great.

Clear, colourful, concise, cultural, clever.

The best thing about it is it makes drivers slow down, stop, look and think – something Gisborne drivers have never done before.

Gary McKenzie

Bluegreens very quiet

Shortly after my “Fast-track Approvals Bill a capitalist attack on nature” column appeared on Friday, I received our winter copy of the Forest & Bird magazine. Among the many other items of important information, this concern took the top spot. The Government’s environmentally destructive “Fast-track Approvals Bill” is the most extreme attack on nature imaginable.

My wife and I have been members of Forest & Bird since 1984 and until recently, I served on the local committee. Forest & Bird is an apolitical organisation, even working with National Party supporters - some as passionate about the plight of nature as I am. I’m sure today they would declare themselves to be “Bluegreens”.

Bluegreens claim “New Zealand’s environment is at the core of our quality of life, our national identity, our competitive advantage. We enjoy some of the most pristine and natural beauty in the world. Good environmental practice is not only important to protect our natural heritage, but is crucial in securing the sort of future we want for our children. That is why National founded the Bluegreens in the 1990s . . .”

Yet this National-led coalition Government has placed both its Climate Change Minister Simon Watts and Environment Minister Penny Simmonds outside Cabinet. Also, the Department of Conservation’s budget has been drastically cut.

Forest & Bird is concerned the proposed fast-track law would override a raft of existing legislation including the purpose of the Conservation Act, Reserves Act and Wildlife Act, and laws covering the Exclusive Economic Zone. Bypassing these long-standing laws means the three ministers – Chris Bishop, Shane Jones and Simeon Brown - would be able to approve projects that have previously been stopped by the court because of their environmental impact.

It seems to me our present Climate and Environment ministers, plus the Bluegreens within the party ranks, may be silenced as well.

Bob Hughes

Extending Taruheru trail

Re: Final concrete section laid on pathway extension, June 12 story.

Thank you to Gisborne District Council and Mitre 10 for the new concrete path beside the river between Grey St and Derby St. People walking and cycling are enjoying the smooth surface, and especially those with small wheels - scooters, skateboards, pushchairs, mobility scooters etc - are finding the concrete path easier to negotiate. Path lighting is still to be installed, which will make it even better.

This path extends the Taruheru River trail from Grey to Derby St. In time, this trail will connect existing walking and cycling paths, and provide safe travel all the way to Campion College, with connecting links to other schools.

Schools and students are loving the Wednesday Challenge, which encourages students to get to and from school on Wednesdays in ways that don’t involve a private car.

Completing the Taruheru River trail will enable active travel every day with a safe, separated pathway, and will reduce the car congestion before and after school.

Gillian Ward

Boost DrainWise instead

Re: Study launched to track virus in shellfish after sewage spills, June 20 story.

Another egregious waste of rates by our council and totally unnecessary. Council should just let the residents know about any sewage spill and warn them about the use of shellfish during and after such spills.

This move by council to waste $140,000 per wet weather event is just ratepayers’ money down the drain. If it is for commercial harvesters, surely they can do their own testing. Council can also put a minimum time restriction after each event, based on existing science.

Detailed sampling of water has nothing to do with public health. If MPI limits its shellfish monitoring programme to weekly biotoxin testing, it is certainly good enough for us too and no further detailed testing by GDC is required.

This is a district council, not the science institute of shellfish!

Perhaps, if the district council has too much money in its pockets due to increased rates, it can put that to strengthening the DrainWise project and reducing any chance of overflows in the first place.

You don’t need to spend our rates to tell us sewage spills are not good for the health of shellfish! We know that already!

Simin Williams

Should be obvious

Re: Study launched to track virus in shellfish after sewage spills, June 20 story.

Does it not seem reasonable that with the increase in extreme weather events and the varying age and complexity of drainage infrastructure, the release of sewage to some degree should not be unexpected? Also, anyone who eats shellfish - which are filter feeders - obtained from next to a city of our size is perhaps a little over-optimistic in the health outcomes, expected or not expected, as the case may be.

I realise this is a consent issue, but it seems a little like sending good money after bad to me. Just an opinion of course.

Ron Taylor