Your views: Readers' letters

Inserting the 'H'

In my role as vigilante-in-chief of Grammar Vigilantes of Aotearoa, I am sometimes asked about my vigilantism with respect to the spelling of Whanganui. While I always include the "H" when I write and type, and am happy that the NZ Geographic Board has made a ruling on the spelling of our town's name, I am reluctant to start a campaign to get everyone to follow suit.

That said, I do encourage the committees I am on to add the "H".

It is great to see more and more Whanganui schools adding the "H" to their name. Every time I drive past Whanganui Girls' College, my heart swells. Their sign on the wall facing the river is bold and bright, and I love the apostrophe.

However, there are many personal and business reasons for the "H" to be left out of entity names. It is simply not my issue. The tramping club ruled last year that it would not change its name. And we all know the Wanganui Chronicle hasn't added the "H"; it has a 161-year history. The name change process can be fraught and expensive.

My official position is that I am loath to muck about with errant spelling on official signage (such as those belonging to Whanganui District Council and NZ Transport Agency).

Adding an apostrophe or a hyphen is different because these punctuation marks are unobtrusive. Some of you may have noticed the odd hyphen and apostrophe added on signs around town.

Recently, on GVA's Facebook wall, I was given a challenge, so I emailed the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) about when the state highway signs saying "Wanganui" would be changed.

This is the reply I received: "Thank you for your inquiry. I can advise that the first few signs that have been relabelled were part of the first trial roll-out from NZTA. I have just received confirmation that NZTA have just released a contract for the completion of this relabelling. If all goes well we should all hope to see all the signs relabelled within the next 12 weeks. Please give me a call if you would like to discuss this matter further. Regards, Nigel Edmonds. Opus."

This means that Opus International Consultants are contracted to do the work for NZTA.

MARGI KEYS
Springvale

Car show loss

As one of the organisers of the 100th Anniversary Car Show in Whanganui last weekend, I would like to thank the Wanganui Chronicle for all their support helping to promote a very successful show. It was decided by the organising committee at the start to make the show affordable for families to attend therefore it was decided that entry would be by gold coin donation, which hopefully would at least cover the cost of hiring the venue.

With record numbers of public attending and great feedback it was very disappointing to find, among other things, several flat washers, an old two-shilling piece and several very low-denomination foreign coins in the donation bucket. As a result, the local MTA had a very successful show but has run at a substantial loss financially.

Wanganui public, you really disappoint me.

WILLY PELZERS
Whanganui

Offensive

I was offended to read the opening line of Philippa Baker-Hogan's August 16 column, "Whanganui Rowing Stories in Print", where she likened "our wonderful river" to "a menopausal woman at times, throwing up wind, high-flowing tidal water and a few too many snags."

I find the comment insensitive to women and to our awa. The Whanganui River is deeply embedded culturally, physically and emotionally in this region. It should be treated with greater respect and not put into the stereotype of a cantankerous woman.

Iwi have battled long and hard to have the awa recognised without others making light of its recently legalised personhood. Women battle enough against stereotyping by males without other women making remarks like this.

Regardless of her own age and stage of life, background and experience, Baker-Hogan should take a better look at what the awa means and how analogies such as her's add to the damage and disrespect done for so long to iwi and to women.

PENNY ROBINSON
Durie Hill

Errors in print

Those that bother to read my occasional missives will have a pretty fair idea of my likes, dislikes and those things that get right up my hooter.

One of the latter is the appalling rate of decline in the everyday standards that our society depends on. A leading issue for me is that of communication and in particular the art of writing.

I suspect that we all make the odd mistake when putting pen to paper. Even the Chronicle is not exempt from this fault. This has led me to suggest the employment of a proofreader to the editor a couple of times. He has yet to contact me regarding my employment.

However, those lapses pale into insignificance when compared to some publications. I amuse myself for half an hour or so each fortnight by passing a critical eye over the contents of our local Property Guide.

Today's issue (August 12) provided me with a veritable plethora of substandard spelling, punctured punctuation, ghastly grammar, chaotic construction, maladroit metaphors and terrible typesetting. I was so dismayed that I had no option but to employ my orange highlighter when I found one contributing non-aligned agency to be worthy of special attention.

Two pages of advertisements resulted in an outbreak of orange measles with spots numbering 97. While such literary deficiencies may be considered trivial, to my mind it just shows ignorance and incompetence and surely does not inspire confidence in buyers.

Should we not scrutinise what's on paper before we print?

D PARTNER
Eastown

Send your letters to: The Editor, Wanganui Chronicle, 100 Guyton St, PO Box 433, Wanganui 4500; or email editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz