Letters: Cost of so many presenters for financially troubled TVNZ

It does not surprise me to read in your paper that TVNZ is heading for a $17 million loss.
Just about every time I turn my TV on and there is a story about the Rugby World Cup, there is a different presenter doing the story.

Just how many do they need in Japan? I bet a dollar to a dime they did not fly cattle class.
Also, can someone tell me why, in the weekends, one person can read the news but, during the week, they need two?

RICHARD BOULD
Whanganui

Rewriting history

To quote Bob Walker of St John's Hill (August 30) "I find it appalling" — vis: "I find it appalling" he attempts to rewrite history.

"I find it appalling" that he thinks that a little knowledge (which we all know is a dangerous thing) is enough to sustain an ignorant, dangerous and even racist argument.

"I find it appalling" that he tries to mount spurious arguments against Māori and the Labour Party while backing private ownership and/or private business, and/or supposed military conquest when closer scrutiny would reveal the Labour Party and Māori much more favourably and private ownership and business much less so. And military conquest?
Why look at what military establishments were training and teaching prior to and during WWI? And the land was never taken by conquest but rather by successive governments' chicanery, called "confiscation".

"I find it appalling" that, in his letter, protesters are "rent-a-mob". "I am appalled" that this letter needs to be written.

This letter is not an attack on Bob Walker. "I am appalled" that anyone would think it was. That is because I know that his craptitudinous diatribe should be confined to wrapping fish and chips or to be ignored. I choose the latter.

G. WEBLEY
Whanganui

Life's meaning

Paul Baber, all human beings have the responsibility of finding meaning in life. The quote from Avraham Sonenthal indicated how irrelevant Darwinian evolution is to practical science.

I firmly believe we should all examine the claims of scientists, scholars and religious teachers considering where their claims and teachings lead.

Science is a wonderful tool for examining the universe (observation) and discovering its laws (experimentation). It is not applicable in matters of history or spirituality.

However, the God who created all things is relevant to all aspects of life including science, history and every other field of study since all come from Him.

MANDY DONNE-LEE
Aramoho

Labelling

I was surprised to see such an example of unnecessary labelling as that used in the Chronicle of September 10. The reporter used the phrase "Winter, a transgender woman".

How is a person's sexuality relevant? Why mention it? It's on the same level as "the intruder, a Maori" or "the driver, a white male".

I was teaching journalism students why and how to avoid this sort of language 30 years ago. Such labels are, at worst, biased or inflammatory, and at best plain unnecessary.
On a different level, the phrase "transgender woman" makes no sense anyway.

COLIN MCKINNEY
Whanganui

Half-brained

After observing the close calls at Ingestre St-Victoria Ave, I would like to inform the person who put a right-hand turn on the left-hand side of the road that the other half of their brain is in the Road Planning Dept, with all the half-brains looking to get together one day.
Looking around the city with free turns removed, cycleways taking up roadway, parking spaces removed, concrete traffic islands in streets with no traffic, road humps to shake everything off the back of your vehicle ... a getting-together of the half-brains is very unlikely.

C WISE
Springvale

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