A selection of letters to the editor. Have your say by clicking the link at the bottom of this page. Please also see letters rules at the bottom of this page.
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The spectacle of large machinery tearing up houses in Christchurch is absolutely insane and an insult to the people of New Zealand.
These houses contain good roofing, framing, plumbing, electrical bits and fittings which could be recycled into new houses with a bit of care and judgment. The tragic part of this disaster is the fact we have a fair number of unemployed and I am quite sure they would rather be salvaging good material and helping build houses out of that material than be on the dole.
It is obvious that the New Zealand Government is somewhat better run than in Haiti, however the comparisons are there with Haiti also taking a very long time in getting off the ground. That is no excuse for New Zealand to allow people to live in unpleasant conditions for many months.
It should have been obvious quickly what areas would not be built on and I don't know how one rebuilds on sensitive soils except through expensive piling and floors off the ground. This does not protect the streets or services and the decision to abandon some areas should have been made months ago.
The rebuild in other areas on non-sensitive soils should have started months ago. The New Zealand Government is tardy and unhelpful in this situation. There is no reason as the evidence was apparent very early that a rebuild in new areas would have to be undertaken.
(Abridged)
CLIFF LEE
Mamaku
Re Te Arawa bio farming bid to save lakes - added man-made chemical fertilisers that artificially only boost grass growth on top of the soil, while at the same time destroying the soil's natural life cycle and micro-organisms underneath, can only become unsustainable and foolish in the long term.
Without this layer of natural living humus in place, all added nitrate and phosphates will not only leach into our waterways, but will also eventually find its way down through the thin dead subsoil left behind, down into the earth's underground freshwater tables.
If conventional farmers don't put a line in the sand now to stop further increases of nitrogen and phosphorus leaching from their on-farm activities, they will find the industry will be totally unsustainable financially and environmentally.
Intensive conventional farming using chemical nitrogen and phosphate fertilisers to boost production is already starting to ruin New Zealand's clean green image.
(Abridged)
RUSTY KANE
New Plymouth
As kaumatua of Te Arawa and Waiariki Institute of Technology, I just want to inform everyone who has read the article on the Te Tumu cut groyne structure blessing on page 2 of The Daily Post on June 27, that back in early January, two days after the accidental fishing tragedy happened, I travelled to Te Tumu with Atiria Raupita's whanau and friends, to perform a karakia blessing ceremony at the site, after being asked by the whanau.
On arrival, there were many people on the wharf fishing at the time, and they also witnessed flowers being laid at the site and a karakia ceremony being performed.
This is normal protocol when a tragedy like this happens in Te Arawa. The site is visited by proven kaumatua soon after to perform karakia rituals over the affected area, and because of circumstances when Atiria accidentally fell, her whanau weren't settled until the karakia was performed, soon after the accident happened
I wanted to mention this to all readers of Monday's article, so as to let everyone know that a karakia ceremony was performed back in January and not five months later as mentioned in Monday's article. I presume by reading the Monday article, the new safety barriers just erected by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council were formally blessed, and that's very important also.
KEN KENNEDY
Rotorua
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