Letters: Climate change plan vital

By doing little or nothing about climate change, we invite the inevitability of increasingly frequent, damaging floods to our beautiful city and surrounds.

A BIG bouquet to the Whanganui District Council strategy and finance committee for voting to develop a climate change strategy to guide future council planning and operations.

This decision is very positive in a number of respects. It shows the council treats seriously and sincerely the public consultation process surrounding its long-term plan and is prepared to respond positively to public input and opinion. The leadership shown by the committee's chair, Kate Joblin, and council staff, (senior planner Hester den Ouden), deserves particular mention as serious planning to meet the challenges of climate change is by no means mainstream among local government, despite overwhelming evidence of its inevitability.

Whanganui can only benefit from this decision. Prudent planning and development activities taken now will create significant savings in the future. The do-nothing option invites increasing exposure to climbing costs and damaging impacts from climate change.

The single greatest priority in the medium term is to reduce accelerating erosion and runoff in the Whanganui River catchment. An ambitious reafforestation planting programme is the obvious strategy, for which central government funding is already available. All it requires from the Whanganui District community is the will and collective determination to do it.

By doing little or nothing, we invite the inevitability of increasingly frequent damaging floods to our beautiful city and surrounds.

JOCK LEE
Castlecliff

Nursing service excellent

Recently my partner, Brian, had occasion to use our local district health nursing service operating out of the old Lambie home that comes to your house. Their service is second to none. They deserve to be praised for their excellent service they dispense to their patients.

There is no waiting when we go to the appointments. They are dedicated, highly
professional, and know what they are talking about and how to treat your problem.

During the time we had need of their help we saw about four different nurses and every single one of them was cheerful, friendly, efficient, and gave us expert advice on how to manage his wound in between appointments.

If anyone ever has to use their services, rest assured you will be in good hands. Whanganui is lucky to have such awesome nurses.

P RODGERS
Whanganui

Bill spurs fears of violence

To those of you who support the End of Life Choices Bill. I'd like to put my pennies' worth out there.

This country has a terrible problem of violence, from children growing up in domestic violence, to school bullying, to adults not knowing how to control themselves, to the ones who actually enjoy violence, through to elder abuse.

My fear is by passing this bill we give the perpetrators another tool to use against the sick and weak in society.

The countries that have legalised this don't have the violence problem that NZ has.

W J HARVEY
Whanganui

Trump comments disgust

John McCain has been laid to rest, bless his soul. But the words Mr Trump said live on TV about him being a prisoner of war ... did the President hate him that much?

I thought it was disgusting, as this man was a war hero who fought for his country, and it nearly cost him his life.

Wash your mouth out, Mr Trump, and apologise to the McCain family and American people,

GARY STEWART
Foxton Beach

Editorial degrading

With regard to the NZME editorial of President Trump (Chronicle, September 3), can a leader be so wrong? Here he is defending the unborn in America and NZME paints him as a mongrel.

This editorial is pure vitriol quite devoid of professionalism. What we see here is unbounded ideology. I'm fairly certain the president is no saint but unlike our editorial writer he has got the basics right in defending all human life. In reading the editorial, one is profoundly shown the type of evil one is dealing with who can print a story on youths throwing a cat into a fire yet turn not a hair at the destruction of a boy or girl in the womb.

People like the writer of the editorial have no scholarship, no professionalism for facts, probably no ability for self-examination.

And he or she has an innate sense of their own sophistication. It's called pride and arrogance. Such editorials are degrading to the Chronicle, a paper I understood to be pro-community.

F R HALPIN
Whanganui

Send your letters to: The Editor, Wanganui Chronicle, 100 Guyton St, PO Box 433, Wanganui 4500; or email editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz