Whanganui letters: Local councils should focus on local, not global, issues

Local councils should leave central government to deal with national and global issues such as climate change, Rob Thomson writes. Photo / NZME

Our regional council is taking on global issues at ratepayers' expense (Chronicle, May 28). By not addressing the spread of old man's beard, our council will see the continuing spread of this rampant weed.

Funding climate change (global warming) by $11 million over 10 years will not change the global climate at all. The NZIER in its 2020 report to the Government advised that for New Zealand to achieve net-zero 2050 emissions will come at a cost of 16.8 per cent of GDP or $85.2 billion. These costs would be ongoing. Bjorn Lomborg in his assessment of this report concluded that the outcome of this cost is that the global temperature at January 1, 2100, would be achieved instead on January 5, 2100, a delay of five days. A very expensive five days.

To achieve any measurable reduction in global emissions would require at least China to limit their emissions and this is unlikely to occur anytime soon. New Zealand continues to trade with China. Perhaps our local councils should fund local issues and leave our Government to deal with national and global issues.

ROB THOMSON
Parapara

Coal imports questioned

I have noticed in your paper over the last few weeks references to New Zealand importing quite large amounts of coal.

I know we are in the process of phasing out the use of coal, but could someone please explain why we are wasting funds on importing it when we could use our own until that happens?

TONY McCOLL
Whanganui

Achieving unity

As someone with years of teaching experience in this country, I have gone through all the material in the Unteach Racism app and, in my opinion, this venture is encouraging the very racism we all abhor.

By attempting to redefine words to fit what is, in my opinion, a racist agenda (reverse racism against non-Māori/non-Pacific Islanders), [it is], in fact, encouraging the very racism [they] are trying to "unteach".

The longer we have programmes like this running in this country, the more divided we will become. Heaven help our country if the teachers of our children get sucked into this dark hole ... The sooner we all become race and colour blind and, impartially, look out for each other with real aroha, the sooner we will achieve unity in this country.

And don't throw, "But the Treaty...!" before me. This goes far beyond (or is it beneath...) what was ever envisaged with the Treaty.

This smacks of mind and thought control and, methinks, we've seen through your games. To quote, "Hey! Teacher! Leave our kids alone!"

CALVYN JONKER
Central Whanganui

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