Your views: Readers' letters

Readers debate the merits of STV voting ahead of a council decision next month on whether to adopt it instead of the present FPP system.

Voting systems

Since Steve Baron thinks that STV is a much fairer system, could he please explain how excluding a quarter of a million voters from the final count in the DHB elections is so fair?

ALLAN ANDERSON
Brunswick

STV fairer

I am writing in support of Steve Baron's suggestion to introduce STV for our local elections.

While I wouldn't be able to explain how it works, I understand it when it is explained to me or I read it up on the internet.

If you want to understand how it works, you can!

It makes sense and is a lot fairer then FPP. The increased workload is not a good argument against it, in my view.

What is more important -- a fair election result, where every vote counts, or a reduced workload?

ANNE MOHRDIECK
Whanganui

Petition info

Much has been made of Steve Baron's 30-signature petition on the STV vs FPP issue (including at the August 8 council meeting and especially by Mr Baron himself).

Since we can't read the "purpose" of his petition from the Chronicle's photo of him posing with it outside the council HQ, nor the 30 signatories' details, it would be helpful for the Chron to list them or publish a readable version of the signed petition.

It would also be useful to know the total number of people Mr Baron approached to sign (not stated in previous Chron stories) to be able to compare that number with the 30 who actually agreed to sign, and in turn weigh that number against what he's called "community leaders" at large.

We would also be able to judge for ourselves how much weight to place on the signatures of the 30 he has also variously described as "dames, doctors, movers, shakers, etc" compared with "average" citizens ... though it's a long time since NZ introduced one man, one vote and we even have women's suffrage now! And while I greatly respect my doctor's medical expertise, I wouldn't expect him to know more about voting systems than my supermarket checkout operator.

We would also be able to ask the 30 in person to explain their views on STV v FPP and the evidence they used to reach their conclusion with sufficient confidence to sign Mr Baron's petition.

Meanwhile, I suggest the editor withholds further op-ed column centimetres for Mr B to push his opinions on this topic till after publication of the above important info.

CAROL WEBB
Wanganui

STV proven

Your correspondent, John Carson (August 14) argues against the WDC changing the voting system to STV, but his argument is not an argument against STV; it is an argument against voting at all.

If you do not have enough information to rank candidates under STV, as Mr Carson is suggesting, then you don't have enough information to tick them under FPP either. The trouble with FPP is that your last tick is just as valuable as your first tick. Under STV, when you place the #1 next to a candidate's name that carries far more weight than the candidate you put #10 next to.

Under FPP you can tick as few candidates as you like. Under STV you can rank as few candidates as you like as well.

Mr Carson is correct when he says the most popular candidates for council will always get elected, but STV can make a difference at the bottom of the list. Where STV really comes into its own is when there is one vacancy and many candidates, such as for mayor. We want a mayor with majority support and STV statistically achieves that. FPP could actually mean the least preferred candidate becomes mayor, when votes are evenly split.

Please, WDC, take note of the 2003 Dunedin City Council referendum where voters preferred the much fairer STV system. STV is also used in Wellington, Wellington Regional Council, Porirua, Kapiti, Marlborough, Kaipara and Palmerston North -- because it just makes sense and is a proven voting system.

STEVE BARON
Whanganui

Whitebait plentiful

Whitebait frittering away -- what a lot of rubbish. Since the floods of 2015 the two whitebait seasons have been the best for about 30 years.

You only needed to go to Kowhai Park and see the 30-odd people lined up side by side, all catching plenty.

Some years when there is a poor season it is because they have already run before the season has started.

This year they will be late because the river is too dirty and in flood most of the time.

Whitebait like clean, fresh water.

Other rivers in our area have also been very good, with people getting their best-ever catches.

I suggest ecologist Stella McQueen would be better to ask whitebaiters who are out there doing it rather than running around with her little net.

ROGER NEILSON
Wanganui

Euthanasia

In a letter promoting euthanasia, D Partner makes the claim that others did not "tell me how to live my life up to the present day", yet nothing could be further from the truth.

We, as a society, have many laws, rules and people to enforce them, who do exactly that.

As well as promoting euthanasia, D Partner attempts to ridicule anyone who disagrees with the ideology, yet the evidence is "that the majority of thinking New Zealanders", including the Medical Association, are opposed to euthanasia.

I do agree with one sentiment expressed in the letter, although not in the way D Partner meant it.

"I am sorry, but I will not accept that these deluded people (including [D Partner]) can use their [ideology] to dictate the manner of my passing or that of any other person."

F HALPIN
Whanganui