Plans to potentially turn a 100-year-old Auckland racecourse into thousands of new houses and apartments have spurred concerned residents to hold a community meeting.
Te reo enriches us all
Correspondent Alan Walker worries that so many te reo phrases are finding their way into everyday language but there are different ways of looking at this (Weekend Herald, Mar 16).
Languages are not static, they change constantly and integrate words from other languages all the time. Does he feel like choking when he eats an omelette or worries that some young children get linguistically contaminated when they attend kindergarten?
These words were added to the language because people found them useful and English just made a place for them. I also think he underestimates the “older generation”.
I have belonged to that category for quite some years now and sometimes have trouble understanding and then remembering the te reo Māori names of many institutions.
One solution is going to the internet to find out what the names mean and if you have no access to that, you go to the library where you find books that not only give you the translation but also a wealth of interesting information and you begin to appreciate the meaning and nuances of the language.
I have often noticed that English-speaking people feel uncomfortable when people around them use another language. I remember browsing in a shop with my sister, who was visiting from the Netherlands. She picked something up and asked me if she should buy it for her granddaughter, the lady in the shop wasn’t even serving us but said to me “She should speak English”.
I was so surprised by that, I forgot to ask her if she would immediately resort to Dutch if she ever visited a shop in Amsterdam. Finding out more about other languages should not be seen as a threat but an enrichment.
Marian Stolte, Orewa.
Rugby restructure
The move by World Rugby to introduce a radical plan to save the game makes interesting reading.
The governing body in New Zealand is battling to come to grips with falling interest and participation and the recommendations from the independent panel could have its ramifications if not acted upon. Rugby now faces increasing competition from other sports codes, which are taking advantage of the falling popularity of our national game.
The saviour of rugby needs to come from World Rugby at breakneck speed and be supported by international boards of control worldwide. To continue as is will eventually prove fatal.
Highlighted by former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, the complicated rules of the game also require a restructure. The continuous stoppages, needless penalties, scrum collapses, over-vigorous TMOs and a raft of understandable rules combine to make the game hard to watch.
The support of the community and grassroots of the game is also vital to its survival going forward.
World Rugby, NZ Rugby, get your act together, before your support base including players, officials, sponsors and the general public walk away.
Ray Hopkinson, New Plymouth.
Testing drivers
I found the article about cognitive tests for senior drivers and speaking to neuroscientist Dr Kerry Spackman to be enlightening. This is something that I have been at odds with for some time.
I find the tests that are taken for memory to be sexist, i.e. a senior male being asked to list 30 items in a supermarket and when he told the person taking the test he doesn’t go to the supermarket, was asked to list the items in the pantry.
He doesn’t do the cooking so no need to use the pantry either. Mostly, in my opinion, and when I go shopping, there are few men to be seen.
Why, when most seniors have regular doctor visits do they need to take these tests? Surely if you can produce a doctor’s certificate to say you are physically fit and mentally stable to drive, you should not have to be put through these ridiculous tests.
Driving ability is what should be checked and not so often. I don’t think people realise how much it costs to sit these tests, especially after 80 when you have to take them every two years. This is akin to elder abuse.
It’s about time more attention was paid to younger drivers as most older drivers have had years of experience on the roads. I got my licence in 1968 and am still driving, a bit more carefully today given the number of arrogant drivers who do not obey road rules and think that by driving a “tank” they own the roads.
Lorriane Smith, Hastings.
Cross at Tamaki
Brian Tamaki has hijacked Rotorua library story time as part of his relentless efforts at evangelical self-promotion
But, in fact, events for children with drag performers are a legitimate and long-standing part of theatrical history in terms of children’s pantomime “Dames” and plays such as Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
The cross-dressed characters in such shows reveal to the audience that the characteristics of gender are entirely interchangeable and subjective — so demonstrating that gender can, and should, be freely expressed according to each individual’s personal taste. That is a view religious and political dictators take as a threat to their authority.
In reality, it is only sex, reproductively speaking, that is an immutable binary. And it is unaffected by how an individual expresses themselves in terms of their appearance.
At library story-time, since the tales the kids are told do not suggest they can change their sex, they and their caregivers should be free to share in our cultural traditions of gender playfulness and freedom of expression — as represented in brilliant theatrical performances featuring cross-dressing.
Janet Charamn, Avondale.
Dense thinking
The 35ha Avondale Racecourse land that could be re-zoned for 750 apartments in 10 blocks of up to eight storeys conjures up images of the massive council estates in the UK.
Without genuine consultation and subsequent planning with well co-ordinated infrastructure, this development will bring chaos to Avondale.
Will the community need another school, more car parks‚ green spaces and facilities for a massive influx of population? High-density housing has become part of the West Auckland landscape.
Roads are reduced to one-way obstacle courses. I know there is a housing shortage but how about some visionary town planners to challenge the cookie-cutter stacks and show some innovation.
It’s a large precious piece of land. With inclusive facilities, green spaces and local businesses the development could become a destiny for locals as well as providing housing. Will it be goodbye to the iconic Avondale Markets, are they on notice too?
Whatever the outcome, once it’s done, there is no going back.
Alison Redfern Daly, Titirangi.
Bloated bureaucracy
Way back in the 1970s Wellington property owner Bob Jones made the comment that he loved Labour governments because they generated so many new government and quasi-government departments and bloated bureaucracy.
It was a golden time for owners of commercial property to provide workspace for them all.
Nothing much has changed. As each Labour-led government comes to an end, the vast unaffordable regime has to be rationalised. Each incoming government gets that unenviable task, as we are seeing now.
Andrew Tichbon, Green Bay.
Go west
Thanks Steve Braunias, you have just knocked $100,000 off my house value. I am a great fan of your writing, but please know that not all of us out here in the West are “bogans” (Weekend Herald, Mar 16).
Whilst Glen Eden has certainly slid down in the Auckland property scale, on the flip side, it is quaint, quiet and affordable, with a village atmosphere, many pleasant streets and people who enjoy living here.
We are just waiting for the rest of Auckland to appreciate its charm.
Eva Tamura, Glen Eden.
The new regulations on vaping are still “fiddling while Rome burns”. Enforcement will be difficult, costly and possibly ineffective. Why not make the sensible and brave decision to ban vaping altogether and that will be the end of the contentious problem.
Randal Lockie, Rothesay Bay.
Watching Winston Peters’ puerile display in the foyer of Parliament as he walked through a group of journalists with his phone to his ear as he listened to the Chumbawamba song Tubthumping” and hearing in Question Time his buffoon of a deputy calling out inane comments at the top of his voice. You would have to wonder if NZ First didn’t go hard-out to get elected just to settle old scores?
John Capener, Kawerau.
Allowing anyone other than the government to operate our inter-island ferries would be just as stupid as it was to sell the railways. The ferries are part of the NZ trunk line and essential to the smooth running of our national transport system. An efficient maintenance system would allow the existing ferries to run another 10 years at least. Put money into purchasing a suitable tug boat for the essential security needed now.
Jim Lawry, Rotorua.
Next time you see someone in a wheelchair, don’t forget to thank him or her for contributing to your tax cuts.
Peter Beyer, Sandringham.
I am not surprised that Winston Peters has, yet again, made a completely inappropriate comment. However, what does surprise me is why the leader of a minor party makes a so-called “State of the Nation” address. Surely this is the prerogative of the leader of whichever is the major party, even in the existing three-party coalition.
Graeme Leary, Clevedon.
I feel that it is ironic that Chlöe Swarbrick is objecting to Government proposals to recommend eviction of unruly or defaulting state housing tenants while many of those most adversely affected by misconduct are constituents of the Green Party.
Phil Saunders, Northcote.
Kāinga Ora is responsible for housing people, not for disciplining them. If laws are broken it is a matter for the police. If there are social problems other agencies need to step up. Throwing people into the street is never the solution and will only further damage families.
Bob van Ruyssevelt, Glendene.
Perhaps the banks, or customer, need to consider having a face-to-face meeting with their bank manager when they want to invest their life savings. This is not a new concept but one that was commonplace and had a degree of personal service, something banks aren’t keen on promoting anymore.
John Ford, Taradale.
With MPs of varied hue being caught out in their speechifying, whether blatantly or by sidestepping the truth, I’m reminded of the old joke – Q: How can you tell when a politician is telling lies? A: Their lips move.
Brian Millar, Titirangi.
How can your columnist Bruce Cotterill be taken seriously when he says “Do we really need more bureaucrats in the Ministry of Education than teachers”. This statement is so completely inaccurate as to be laughable. However, the worst part of it is some people will believe him.
Gil Laurenson, Eastern Beach.
There is currently a campaign to allow residents in Gaza to come to New Zealand as refugees. Before this is even considered, we would be wise to ask the likes of Egypt and Jordan on why they won’t accept any refugees from Gaza. I think their reasons would be quite compelling.
Kent Millar, Blockhouse Bay.
'You don’t want to be doom and gloom your whole life. That's just a miserable way to live'