Whanganui letters: Trams icing on cake of ‘must-do’ tourism map

Whanganui District Council should get the trams moving for the opening of the redeveloped Sarjeant Gallery, writes one reader.

Letters to the Editor

Regarding the tram project being off-track (News, August 14) - what’s off-track is the council.

Why spend millions on the art gallery at the top of Pukenamu Queen’s Park and the heritage buildings in Rutland St, promoting Whanganui as the southern heritage city, and leave out the beautiful working piece of history - the trams?

There shouldn’t be yet another report. It should be a definite “let’s get this moving” for the opening of the art gallery.

To be frank, it’s a no-brainer. We are the only Southern Hemisphere “heritage” city so, council, stop dithering and make it happen.

But make sure there’s a station pick-up in Rutland St by Watt Fountain.

It will cement Whanganui as a cultural heritage tourist mecca, and this can only be built on.

Just look at Vintage Weekend, our 115-year-old Durie Hill lift and the Waimarie steamer.

The tram promotion would truly be the icing on the cake in putting us on the must-do tourism map.

Whanganui District Council, do this for Whanganui.

LAURINE CURRIN

Whanganui East

Business leaders see wisdom in SDG programme

Well done Derek Tovey on your most informative article (Opinion, August 11) on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2021, I undertook an analysis for a large dairy company identifying which of the 17 SDGs they could adopt to contribute to the aims and goals of the programme. A number of major businesses in NZ have voluntarily implemented programmes adopting a selection of SDGs into their environmental, operational and production business units.

What concerns me now, as it did in 2021, is the lack of Government input into this UN programme. In 2015, all United Nations members, including New Zealand, adopted “Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (the 2030 Agenda) and its 17 sustainable development goals. I tried, unsuccessfully, for some time to find who, if anyone, in the Government was responsible for directing the UN SDG programme. No luck, so in August 2021, I emailed former Prime Minister Ardern, asking her who to contact with regard to this issue. After a couple of months of follow-up emails, I received a note in November 2021 from Minister Mahuta advising me that no consideration has been given to making contributions to the SDGs mandatory for New Zealand businesses. This is a matter for businesses themselves to consider, if they wish.

Derek Tovey concludes his article by saying: “The plan is in place. We should not miss this opportunity.” With the lack of direction from the NZ Government, I fear we will miss this opportunity. Thank goodness business leaders in NZ can see the wisdom in this UN programme that the Government obviously cannot.

ROBERT ALLEN

Durie Hill

Recorded crime not whole story

As much as we respect Derek Cheng, there are issues about the record he quotes (News, August 12). The system simply cannot cope with the level of crime as we perceive it and as it appears in media.

Police are overloaded and may not have time for the hours of paperwork to prosecute every arrest. They may not have time even to respond as they might to every reported crime. The judicial process itself is seriously overloaded, with resulting delays and remand facilities full.

For these and several reasons, recorded crime is not the whole story. Indeed, we see a crime wave. Yet problems are even deeper.

JOHN TRIPE

Whanganui