Cyclone Gabrielle has ripped through New Zealand, destroying livelihoods and costing lives. Photo / Paul Taylor
Generation fail
Why, a generation after Cyclone Bola, do extreme events still cause us such grief and horror? This is the space tourism age. We expect the All Blacks to win from 50-0 down. We have highly capable special forces and police units. We are supposedly No. 8 wire and pioneering experts. Why wasn’t the Transmission Gully formula applied to SH1 at Brynderwyn? Why is the Coromandel isolated? Where is the modern storm drainage? Why doesn’t Victoria Tunnel cross the Waitematā harbour? Why don’t we store excess rainwater? We have been warned for many years. We should be better than this.
Andrew Shirtcliffe, Newmarket.
Power struggle
Adelaide had backup power storage built by Tesla to stop fluctuations and help the city in blackouts. Maybe New Zealand is going to have to invest in electrical storage so that each city has its own if cut off. Starlink is finally being sent to Gisborne and the question is, why were there no Starlink dishes with their own power storage on standby ready to go as soon as the cyclone hit? No mains power should not mean no internet in any city in New Zealand.
Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri.
Tea and sympathy
I have read that the ASB has made an $822 million profit in the last six months and it is sorry for people who are impacted by the “events” lately. Well, that’s very “kind”. People can’t eat sympathy, they can’t put sympathy on their backs to keep them warm and dry, and they can’t live in sympathy either. Instead of sympathy, how about some practical help, and tell the shareholders that their payout will be a little less this quarter?
Julie Pearce, Matamata.
Outbreaks contained
In January of 1985, I began work as a laboratory technician for Save the Children UK in the East of Sudan at Wad Kowli refugee camp for people displaced from Ethiopia. With a population of 95,000 at the height of a measles epidemic, 90 children (under five years) a day were dying from measles. Doctors Simon Leslie and Frances Leslie estimate that during the six months they worked for SCF (January to August 1985) at Wad Kowli, about 5000 refugees had died, half of them from totally preventable diseases due to the lack of proper nutrition and immunisation. Measles immunisation was started in the second week of January and, by the end of February, the toll was reduced to approximately 50 deaths per day. Measles immunisation saves lives. That’s why I support Isaac Davison’s article (NZ Herald, February 15) in which we are urged to boost measles immunisation across all age groups. The message is simple − get our children vaccinated against measles now.
Warren Johns, Remuera.
Class action
Education for our children is the most important requirement for our country to keep up our standard of living. Without well-educated citizens, we will slip into Third World status. Our new Minister of Education, Jan Tinetti, may like to get the headmasters from the top 10 performing schools in New Zealand to attend a meeting where they can outline a programme showing where they have succeeded and most others have failed. This could then be adopted throughout New Zealand. Urgency is required as we have slipped from being number one in the world to near the bottom in 30-odd years.
Tom Reynolds, St Heliers.
Under cover
What a lovely fluff piece by insurance conglomerate CEO Jimmy Higgins (NZ Herald, February 17). Let me translate his comments for everyone - expect your future premiums to rise so we can plug the huge hole in our profits caused by the recent flooding. The insurance company does not exist just to be nice and look after you in times of crisis, they mainly exist to return a profit to their shareholders. That money comes from us, the policyholders, and the returns they get from investing our money when we go for years not making a single claim.
John Deyell, Ellerslie.
Ill-advised cuts
As a long-standing volunteer at Citizens Advice Bureau, I am deeply concerned about talk of proposed funding cuts for Auckland CABs. CAB is the first port of call for many. It is the “go to” place for people seeking advice, information, or a chat with an actual person. It is the only place that connects them to other services which can support them. The last few days, we have been inundated with calls from flood-affected people seeking help. CAB is the conduit between people in need and the various support groups. The great work in terms of meals and shelter being offered by various charities would have gone to waste had we at the Citizens Advice Bureau not directed people to them. Surely, Mayor Wayne Brown and the Auckland Councillors are able to see what a major blunder it would be to cut funding for the Auckland CABs?
Vani Kapoor, Sunnyhills.
Gloom merchants
Have others noticed that whenever there is a natural disaster, such as the current dreadful cyclone, economists are all too eager to make pronouncements of how high the costs will be to the country? “Cyclone could cost the economy tens of billions,” one claimed today. How obvious is that? Of course, it will. But do we need to be told this? If they must say something then they might also mention that the dreadful damage will provide lots of work for thousands of people during the reconstruction and that the insurance claims will “provide billions of foreign currency” into the economy as all insurance is placed abroad. Sadly, both positive things to salvage from the tragedy. Economics is often called the dismal science. Apart from not being a science, more a guessing game, we could do without their pessimism - especially in times of national emergency. There is enough stress and anxiety without their adding to it with unquantifiable claims.
Russell Armitage (economist), Hamilton.
Flawed consent
Following the floods, when speaking of damage across Auckland, Mayor Wayne Brown said some properties should never have been built in the first place. This admission, by the council’s top official, suggests that homeowners have a case against the council for damages from both weather events, as the buildings should never have been approved by the council. This is particularly relevant for those who have no insurance, and for insurance companies who may well attempt to recoup their costs.
Ian Stuart, Opotiki.
Forestry waste
It’s about time a government department issued a very heavy fine to the companies that just leave their slash on the ground which has helped to cause such devastation around the country, with bridges washed out, roads destroyed. etc. Why don’t they put it through a shredder and make either garden bark or, better still, make timber wallboards which would help the building industry?
David Cave, Hillsborough.
Go native
Recent weather events have demonstrated that the management of forestry slash needs to be regulated. Otherwise, commercial imperatives will smother environmental considerations. The most obvious consideration would be to clear slash from slopes and plains where inundation might sweep this material into rivers, streams, and drains. The benefits of slash returning nutrients to the soil and inhibiting feral deer, need to be balanced against the choking of these waterways. We also need to question how much exotic forestry we should allow versus native bush. Mature New Zealand native bush is a comprehensive ecosystem, vital for our native birds, comprising ground cover; small, medium, and large trees; vines, mosses, and saprophytes. The latter often provide nutrients to their host plants. Farmers well know that thickets of trees amongst pasture give shelter to livestock that enhances the rate of growth for animals. Most of our exotic timber is exported, so we have the scope to rein in undue expansion, while prioritising domestic supplies to sustain our building programmes. Trees are good for the environment, but they do not have to be pinus radiata or any other exotics. We can be green without being “wet behind the ears”.
Hugh Webb, Huntington.
Off the pace
Isn’t it a little weird that coach Gary Stead and management have disallowed New Zealand’s fourth-best test bowler Trent Boult to play for his country? Boult should not be dismissed because he chooses to enter T20 competitions that benefit him financially. In fact, this fantastic bowler deserves a new short-term contract when available, as he is now. Boult only lives a few minutes away from Tauranga’s Oval cricket ground. What an embarrassment it shall be to see him in the grandstand. Even the English might think this decision is a little loopy and a lucky one for them. If the Kiwis lose, as they did in India, it’ll be squarely upon the weird logic of Stead and management.
Rex Head, Papatoetoe.
On rugby
Your correspondent Hylton Le Grice (NZH, Feb. 15) suggests rugby players wear helmets to limit concussion. Unfortunately, American gridiron has a bigger concussion issue than NZ rugby. We need to keep looking. Steve Dransfield, Karori.
On earthquake
A quake-up call was delivered on Wednesday evening to many unaffected by recent extreme weather events. Stuart Mackenzie, Ohura.
On letters
Surely, it behooves we letter writers to take on board the editorial (NZH, Feb. 15) suggesting that we park our political differences at this time? Glennys Adams, Oneroa.
On TV ads
Delightful letter, Margaret McDonnell of Glenfield (NZH, Feb. 15), It made me laugh. Being of an equal wisdom, my finger reflex reacts immediately I see green. Joan Scott, Rotorua.
On waters
It’s hard to see why implementing Three Waters 20 years ago, as suggested by Bruce Tubb (NZH, Feb. 15) would have prevented these disasters. Maybe saying no to some of the architects, builders, and landowners who chose to ignore the laws of physics and nature to build on these unsuitable pieces of land would have? James Archibald, Birkenhead.
On preparedness
The serious power outages caused by Cyclone Gabrielle have given rise to another piece of “always blow on the pie” advice: Always carry some cash. Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.
Is extreme weather our new normal?
I listened to an interview with the guy from WeatherWatch who commented about the regularity of cyclones. We have cyclone season from October to April, just like we get fog in Auckland at certain times of year. What part of the devastation is the result of poor planning decisions and design and lack of preparedness? (I am not dismissing the devastating impact of this cyclone on individuals, more reflecting on the bigger picture). So many people I talk to have forgotten the messages of having an emergency kit, planning ahead, etc, and think everything will be at their fingertips on their phone if and when they need it. We are a country prone to natural disasters. Kathy A.
It’s always a good idea to look at sites like Civil Defence for advice. In respect to landslides, it’s a good idea to keep away from cliffs and steep slopes after big weather events. More rain can further destabilise slopes that had already slipped, and ground cracking and slumping are warning signs of landsliding. If you notice doors and windows not closing, or cracks in cladding, paved areas, or the ground - particularly on slopes – advise your council. Jamie M.
We are confident that the rainfall amounts generated by these systems has already increased by 5-15 per cent. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including flooding, in many parts of the world, including New Zealand. The exact impact on flooding in NZ will depend on a variety of factors, such as changes in precipitation patterns, sea level rise, and changes in the intensity of storms. Additionally, sea level rise is likely to exacerbate the impacts of flooding, especially in coastal areas. With rising sea levels, storm surges and high tides will push water further inland, causing more extensive flooding and damage. Nathaniel M.
Are we likely to see more sunless summers? La Niña has played a big part here. We’ve had it three years in a row and for northeastern regions like Auckland it often means cloudy, humid, rainy weather. Scientists are still looking at whether a warming world means more La Niña (as some recent papers have suggested) while IPCC evidence leans toward El Niño, which we’ll likely get later this year. The last time I asked climate scientist James Renwick about this, he said the jury is still out. Jamie M.
I saw an article that claimed the Tonga eruption beneath the sea took huge amounts of water into the atmosphere and has caused it to become 20 per cent more dense than normal and this is contributing to the very wet summer we have had. Mark W.
I too saw an article that made these inferences in the Australian media. They blamed it for their wet summer. However, I could not find a scientific citation for the mechanism of how this would have contributed. The water that was injected into the stratosphere may have affected circulation patterns in the troposphere where our weather is, but the link is likely very tenuous. We’ll have to wait for a peer-reviewed study to know. Nathaniel M.
The new free open-air saltwater pool is already proving popular.