Flooding on Sandringham Rd in Auckland. Photo / Hayden Woodward
Auckland flooding protection
I have read the opinion piece in the Herald (April 21) by the chief executive of the Auckland Council, talking up the good work by emergency response personnel during the recent flooding. No gripe with what he said, the emergency response personnel certainly did a great job.
But what gets me is the Auckland Council not undertaking the preventive maintenance that might stop at least some of the flooding occurring in the first place. Right across the greater Auckland area there are streams, creeks, culverts, storm water drains and suchlike clogged up with a vast array of vegetation, tree branches and other such debris. So when a storm comes along it comes as no surprise that this debris blocks the flow of water and causes levels to rise and overspill.
The emergency responders seem very good at cleaning it up after the flooding, but regular preventive maintenance of these waterways doesn’t seem much of a priority for the council. Sure, there would be a cost involved in employing the personnel needed to undertake this maintenance, but the council does seem to have plenty of money for raised pedestrian crossings and installing traffic lights in roundabouts.
A classic case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, maybe?
Phil Chitty, Albany
School punishment change
Sanctions that existed for misbehaving at secondary school mentioned in Ray Gilbert’s letter “Shifting school standards” (April 25) brought back memories of the cane being used for misbehaviour at the co-ed college I attended.
It was the teacher taking the lesson who used the cane, although perhaps some unfortunate boys were sent to the headmaster to be dealt with.
In this school two male teachers were renown for being ruthless with the cane. The maths teacher, in particular, seemed to take great delight in yelling at the boys to “get out and wait in the corridor”. The rest of the class sat in an eerie silence while we waited for the swishing of the cane to come to an end, and our classmates to return.
The other teacher taught us English, and one day due to him using excessive force that took skin off a boy’s spine, the headmaster banned him from caning.
My class wasn’t full of miscreants, it was an academic class with pupils who were hard-working and diligent, but the slightest thing would set these teachers off.
Today, there are extremely challenging working conditions in secondary schools, but thank goodness corporal punishment was made illegal in 1990.
Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth
Mill Rd project design
The Mill Rd project is very promising if it at actually happens at last, but like many Government proposals it falls short of its potential, (such as the two-lane Penlink bridge, which should have had a minimum of three dynamic lanes).
To do this it needs a four-lane tunnel from Mill Rd under Redoubt Rd to Murphys Rd. This avoids the fuel-expensive “up and over” of Redoubt Rd and will allow effective distribution of traffic through the Botany and Pakuranga regions.
Derek Paterson, Sunnyhills
No to military training
Matthew Hooton suggests spending billions of dollars on military training for young people instead of expensive hardware. This will apparently placate our sabre-rattling allies, who are demanding that we increase of defence budget.
Is he serious? I have a better idea. Tell our so-called allies that we, not they, will decide on how we spent our scarce public funds. We should invest in our young people, invest in health, invest in housing and education and make our country a happier more harmonious place.
After all, doesn’t Pacific mean peaceful? For the sake of our children, let’s stop making ourselves a target for other people’s wars. It’s time we reasserted our identity as a leader in the South Pacific, and promote a zone of peace and prosperity instead.
Vivien Fergusson, Mt Eden
Trump press conference
I watched the ITV news item on 3 News of President Trump’s press conference from the White House, following the destructive Russian bombing of Kyiv, with great interest. Apart from the serious nature of the issue, what resonated with me was the ‘ladylike’ posture of the Secretaries of Defence, Commerce and State sitting with their hands neatly crossed in deference as their President spoke.
It vividly reminded me of being taught in the 1950s at St Annes School, 10 Gibbons Street Takapuna, to sit in a ladylike manner with my hands neatly held in my lap. (For various reasons over the last 65 years I’ve never really taken that seriously.) However, is history now repeating itself in ways we never imagined?
Mary Shadbolt, Birkenhead
Te reo Māori challenges
Jenny-May Clarkson’s recent book offers a deeply personal insight into her journey with te reo Māori. She describes it as the hardest thing she’s ever done – even growing up within a Māori family. She also shares a poignant moment when her father asked that they speak English around her mother, who, despite genuine effort, couldn’t grasp the language and eventually gave up trying.
This story is both moving and revealing. If learning te reo Māori is such a challenge even for those deeply connected to it, we have to ask: how realistic is it to expect the wider population to follow along when it’s used in public spaces like Parliament, the courts or on national television?
This is not about opposing te reo or denying its cultural value. It is, and should remain, an important part of New Zealand’s identity. But language is, first and foremost, a tool for communication. When most of the audience cannot understand what’s being said, the purpose of that communication is lost – or at least severely weakened.
In a country where English is the common language for virtually all, using it as the default for public communication ensures everyone is included, heard and understood. People are, of course, free to learn and use te reo Māori – and many do, with passion and pride. But when it comes to addressing the nation, shouldn’t clarity and shared understanding come first?
By making room for te reo thoughtfully – with translation and context – we can honour its significance without creating unnecessary confusion or division.
Alan Walker, St Heliers
Chairman Grant Illingworth urges sharing experiences to get a fuller pandemic picture.