Western Springs has hosted speedway for the past 96 years. Photo / Hayden Woodward
Save Speedway, sell Eden Park instead
Well, the cat’s accidentally out of the bag – the real hidden agenda as to why Auckland Council want the Westies in black T-shirts out of Western Springs Speedway (Mar 20).
The billionaires want to take over and play with their new toys.
Here is my observation. Auckland Council voted 11 to 8 not to renew tenure to Speedway on fraudulently altered documents tabled to a hastily added item to the monthly meeting. These documents are currently with the Serious Fraud Office under investigation.
Speedway does not wish to relocate. This venue was donated to the people of Auckland for a speedway, which is just short of 100 years of rich history. Generations of families have had years and years of enjoyment from this facility.
It is world-famous as one of the best speedways on the planet. Speedway does not wish to relocate to Waikaraka Park, a toxic wasteland, which is totally inferior and unsuited. Football, soccer or whatever you wish to call it, can be played anywhere, Eden Park, Mt Smart, North Harbour Stadium, Waiheke, or wherever you like. Speedway cannot.
Should the council be looking to consolidate sports grounds and save the ratepayers money? May I suggest relocating the All Blacks to Mt Smart Stadium and sell Eden Park to the billionaires. They can develop it for luxury housing, complete with helipad.
Douglas Anderson, Whitianga.
University challenge
The Act Party is quite right in calling out Auckland University’s compulsory courses, known as Waipapa Taumata Rau, for first-year undergraduates.
A university spokesperson defends their inclusion by vaguely commenting on why the courses are relevant to a student’s studies as it focuses on “this place (including Te Tiriti o Waitangi), our city and our country and why it matters to their programme”. Apparently, it is supposed to help them transition into university life and for success in their future studies.
It begs the question as to what happened before this course was introduced. Were the students so confused at the start of their studies that abysmal pass rates necessitated the introduction of these courses?
Also, these courses are couched in terms so broad as to almost seem indefinable. How are these indefinable courses to be shoehorned into such diverse faculties as medicine, law, science and the arts? Who is going to teach it and at what cost?
How relevant would these courses be to international students? In fact, to force international students to pay $5730 for a course of supposedly little relevance to them and their future careers might mean they look to other universities around the world for their education.
This could jeopardise a very important income source that helps fund the very existence of Auckland University.
Bernard Walker, Mount Maunganui.
Speeding folly
If for every 1% faster you drive you increase your risk of injury or death by 3%, then raising speed limits from 30km/h to 50km/h will end badly.
Nearly doubling the speed vehicles can drive past schools or in built-up areas, just to save a bit of time, seems ridiculous.
School principals are aghast at this decision by the Government. It seems ideology and the motor vehicle lobby have won the day over public safety and common sense.
Increasing speeds cannot be counterbalanced by more road policing and driver education as far too many drivers are aggressive and impatient.
Grieving families and regretful politicians will rue this crude appeal to driving faster. It will be paid in blood.
Jeff Hayward, Auckland CBD.
Four-year terms
It was very good to read Bernard Walker’s letter about the last Labour Government (HoS, Mar 16).
How short memories seem to be. I agree that the current Government has not got a number of things right, but remember that they are having to fix a number of poor decisions that were made by the previous Labour administration.
It was a tough time to be in Government, especially with Covid, but the previous Government spent irresponsibly, wasted money on projects that would never get off the ground and made so many promises that would never be completed.
It is going to take an age to recover, we will need overseas investment, and definitely, the three-year term for our Parliament is too short. Get it to four as quickly as possible.
The risk of jumping from one party to the next in three years is awful.
Paul Mason, Rothesay Bay.
Gender pay
The letter by Murray Hunter claiming that the gender pay inequity is being addressed is completely flawed (HoS, Mar 16).
Comparing a low-ranked men’s golf open (the New Zealand Open) with a high-ranked women’s open (HSBC Singapore) is like comparing a woman company chief executive salary with a male labourer’s wage.
This is not addressing the gender pay issue, it is an apple versus pear issue. Just saying.
Warren King, Hamilton.
Decadent King
King Charles should not have stripped Prince Andrew of his positions.
Andrew has not been convicted of any crime and is only guilty of mixing in bad company. That is not a hanging offence.
Charles should stand down as head of the Church of England since Christianity believes in forgiving and forgetting and he has not done this. And did Charles consult the heads of the 56 Commonwealth countries before he acted? I doubt it. In fact, I smell “the palace” behind this.
Charles is no more than a decadent creep and we certainly don’t want him coming any more to Australia.
Paul Knobel, Australia.
Dog fines
Earlier this month I read with some incredulity that Auckland Council has started rolling out 5500 infringement notices to dog owners who have failed to register their pets. Each notice includes a $300 fine, so all in all a whopping $1.65m council income.
The council has apparently never previously taken firm action against dog owners so to some degree have “reaped what they have sown” by their failure to act positively in the past.
I also believe, that owners who have ignored the notice to register their dog, will not pay any attention to a letter with a fine demand either, I hope I am proved wrong.
Randal Lockie, Rothesay Bay.
Emergency services were called to the scene about 6.40pm.