Letters: Ihumātao, Manukau Bar, roads, Auckland Council and trees

Ihumātao is home to New Zealand's earliest market gardens and a significant archaeological site on land considered wahi tapu, or sacred, by local hapū and iwi. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

Ihumātao impasse

People and politicians seem to have forgotten that the area of Ihumātao now under dispute, plus the area known as the Stonefields, was always going to be a charge on the ratepayers.
When the Manukau City Council compulsorily acquired the land, the intent was for public open space. The council paid for only some of the land, which became the Stonefields, and placed a notice of requirement over the remainder. Several years passed and the council then thought it could keep purchasing the land at rural rates even though it had now zoned the surrounding land as light commercial. The land was subsequently sold to Fletchers as future urban.
The inhabitants of this area have been subjected to several injustices. First, the original Māori residents who had the land confiscated at the time of the Waikato wars, then the Scottish farmers who, after 150 years of farming, had their land compulsorily acquired by the council, but in the process were left with a small unviable area to farm. Then Fletchers who thought it was building a Special Housing Area.
This problem needs to be solved now. Fletchers need compensation, but not to the extent of solving all its financial troubles in one go. Manukau City Council's original intent was public open space. Let's keep to that, with some administrative input from local Māori.
Its high time the place was cleaned up and the road access restored.
Gail Selby-Brown, Ihumātao.

Harbour misgivings

As retired responsible professional engineers we are greatly concerned by the lack of input of engineering expertise shown in the MOT report on the suitability of the Manukau Harbour as a container port.
A port within the harbour needs reliable access across the bar for any ships using the port. The feasibility of such access can only be determined by a proper engineering involvement to determine whether it is possible to economically dredge and maintain an entry channel through the bar; to assure shipping companies that their vessel schedules would not be interrupted by the need for maintenance dredging; and to convince ship owners and insurers that the entrance was safe.
It appears that no such study was done and hence the report on the suitability of the Manukau Harbour as a container port is of little value
If the Manukau is to be considered as a major container port the conditions at the entrance to the harbour must be investigated to determine whether a workable channel can be provided. The standard of this investigation must be high enough to give certainty to all stakeholders; government, investors, port company, shipping companies and insurers, that an operating entrance to the harbour can be economically built and economically and reliably maintained. Given the complexity of conditions at the entrance, this will take time and be an expensive investigation with little probability of success.
Sir Ron Carter, Glendowie. Sir Colin Maiden, Remuera. Des Mataga, Glendowie.

Old-thought

Having considered Judith Collins' resolute speech on infrastructure, I cannot help but feel that while the spirit is admirable, the objectives and approach are lacking.
The proposal, to borrow yet another 15 per cent of GDP and mortgage it against our kids' future, while at the same time cutting taxes, does not sit right somehow.
When politicians start talking "intergenerational", it is actually code for "spend now, pay when I'm gone".
Have we not learned from Covid that a great deal can be done perfectly well remotely? When that happens, it frees up infrastructure for those elements of the economy with no choice but to transport physically.
Perhaps, rather than a good old-fashioned spend-up using even more debt, a better, faster and cheaper outcome might be obtained by breaking out of the old-think and being a bit more imaginative about the use of technologies that we already have available.
Pete Tashkoff, Henderson.

What goes around

It's great that Judith Collins has a plan to relieve Auckland's congestion since it was National's unbridled immigration that contributed to the congestion.
I hope she also has a plan for all the other infrastructure which needs bolstering too - health, housing, water storage, superannuation etc.
Wonder where the money will come from? Perhaps increased immigration?
R Howell, Onehunga.

Forty-year fail

I suppose there are others who, like me, are sick of hearing our water shortage is because of a drought and we will not only need to save water but pay more for it.
Sure, we had a drought, but that's not the reason for our water shortage. For the previous 40 years, our council has done nothing to increase our water collection and storage infrastructure.
Over that same 40 years, Auckland has had a lot of rain. But we don't collect and store it as well as we should, and far too much gets wasted.
Over the same 40 years Auckland's population has grown enormously, successive councils have collected rates from that growing population and approved heaps of residential and commercial development projects.
Over 40 years, successive councils have issued building approvals for in-fill housing.
None of those approvals contained any sort of parallel infrastructure development requirement. The new houses/people were just "plugged in" to existing infrastructure.
Will we ever see people with vision and business acumen seek out the leadership roles in our council? Instead of those we currently have, and have had for at least 40 years, locked into a mindset of one-year budgets and a three-year election cycle, where the priority once one is elected, is to get re-elected.
Phil Chitty, Albany.

Fare-mongering

In Bernard Orsman's report on Auckland Council's proposed rate increase was an alarming and dismaying comment by Desley Simpson (NZ Herald July 17). She states quite explicitly that if the rate rise had been less than 3.5 per cent, then the free bus, ferry and train fares enjoyed by Auckland's old folk would have had to be cancelled.
This begs the question whether organisations such as Auckland Council or Auckland Transport actually have the power to deprive seniors of free (if limited) public transport. Alternatively, was this just a gratuitous threat or mean ploy by Councillor Simpson?
In any case, more grist to Winston's mill as the election creeps closer.
Nigel Shaw, Clover Park.

Caring counts

Auckland Boys Grammar principal Tim O'Connor reveals himself (NZ Herald, July 17) as a bastion of conservatism, retrogressive and unimaginative thinking.
He claims NZQA has "succumbed to mediocrity" by allowing, "help around the home, part-time work, voluntary work, identifying and managing stress" and "buying groceries", most of which women are tasked with in the process of "care" of families and to enable the economic system to function.
In fact, far from allowing Covid-19 to "rewrite our imagination" (as Naomi Klein argues it has), O'Connor slams educators for catering for difference, which they do on authority of well-documented inequalities of educational opportunities and care deficits, which Covid-19 has unveiled.
Once again, anything to do with "care" is identified with "mediocrity" and without status in the public sphere. Yet, it is teachers who emerge with professional integrity and kindness in "counting" as measurable and valid the work of children at home during lockdown - children without access to online learning. With this brand of educational leadership, no wonder we are "still counting" as Marilyn Waring protests - waiting for women's work to counted as a significant part of GDP.
Janet E. Mansfield, Mt Eden.

Utterly stumped

The Canal Rd trees (NZ Herald, July 17) are not a shocking, exceptional example of neglect by local and national government. The clear-felling of mature native trees on private property now seems to be routine.
On Archibald Rd, Kelston two mature 20m kauri and all other trees, including mature natives and exotics, were felled in the last fortnight. The kauri did not restrict access. A couple of years ago a huge pōhutukawa was suddenly felled in Hinekohu St, but the land is still undeveloped. These fellings seem to confirm that the landowners see the value of a tree merely as firewood.
The routine clearance of all trees from properties is gathering pace but none of our representatives, local or national, care to lobby even for a slight redress to the law. They prefer to hide behind greenwash policies and "million tree" planting programmes.
This issue cannot be fought site by site, tree by tree. It needs a change in the law to prevent the despoiling of even our most "leafy suburbs".
The irony is that these landowners are actually reducing the value of their asset (and mine) by making the suburb less attractive.
Martin Ball, Kelston.

Black mayors

The article about the Bristol Statue stunt (NZ Herald, July 17) states that Marvin Rees, Bristol's mayor is the UK's "first directly elected black mayor".
In 1904, my home town of Thetford, Norfolk, elected a black physician, Allan Glaisyer Minns, as mayor. He was born in 1858 in the Bahamas and from 1904 he served two one-year terms as Mayor of Thetford. He stepped down in 1906 and continued to serve in public office, remaining on the council for many years. He was also appointed Chief Magistrate for the Borough.
Another black man, John Archer was elected Mayor of Battersea in 1913 to become the first black mayor in London.
Felicity O'Halloran, Sunnyvale.

Short & sweet

On deflation

A headline (NZ Herald, July 17) said the June CPI data "raises spectre of deflation". I'm not sure we should be concerned - Auckland Council and Watercare have increased their rates by 3.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent respectively, and no doubt other unavoidable costs will head up rather than down. B Watkin, Devonport.

The imminent discontinuance of wage and business-related government financial support will plunge many ratepayers into the depths of a recession - hardly a time for rate increases and business-as-usual Council long-term financial plans. Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.

On Australia

Scott Morrison asks "what does eradication achieve?" Freedom. Working, watching real sport, eating out, cuddling your grandchild, shopping. Steve Russell, Hillcrest.

On council

In supporting job cuts ahead of pay cuts to highly paid staff in order to retain jobs, Phil Goff has betrayed low-paid council workers and his political roots. S. McLaren, Titirangi.

On Ardern

Jacinda Ardern is totally focused on getting NZ through the pandemic and cannot think about the coming election. Is anyone able to take over her pandemic role for perhaps one week, please? May Croucher, Mt Eden.

On roads

I love toll roads, as they leave the former, alternative, free, scenic road quiet as a church mouse and safer than before. I will stick with the winding, coastal roads any day over hobbiting through tunnels. Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri.

On priorities

I can't believe the Government is prepared to spend $35m for a boardwalk through a mangrove swamp in West Auckland, but not invest a similar amount to save 2600 jobs in Southland. Bryan Airey, Waiake.