The advertisement, in my opinion, is blatantly a pre-emptive manipulation of the expected consultation; an attempt to sway the voter before councils even know the detail of what they should consult their communities on ... [Abridged]
ALAN TAYLOR
Whanganui district councillor
Clarity wanted over country's name
In late May I penned a letter that sought clarity over the use of the name of our country in the UN General Assembly.
The Permanent Deputy Head of Mission used the term "Aotearoa-New Zealand" four times in his speech concerning the Israel/Palestine issue.
Basically I sought his right to do so and questioned the authority under which he used that term. I remain astonished that no one responded to this letter, neither in support nor opposition. Very strange!
However, this is most likely due to the fact that I had the audacity, in my last sentence, to suggest that maybe there was a scheme afoot to quietly introduce appeasement to a small proportion of our population. Needless to say that comment was deleted.
In the Weekend Chronicle (June 26) an opinion piece by John Roughan basically said the same thing several times during his article and he is correct but obviously his opinion was not subject to local censorship.
I am concerned that this creeping inclusion of Māori names prior to that of existing names separated by a hyphen or total replacement of existing names with Māori ones is the thin end of the wedge.
Perhaps this is the vanguard of moves towards co-governance, forced inclusion of Māori in a multitude of various facets in our community and eventually Republicanism and a change of flag.
D PARTNER
Eastown
What about Kiwiland?
I've just read your article regarding changing our country's name (News, June 26).
If this considered necessary why not just change it to Kiwiland?
Over the past few years, it has become common to refer to New Zealanders as Kiwis.
The name would also reflect our heritage: a blending of cultures within a unique environment.
VIVIEN WAKE
Whanganui
