Just an idea ...
ANNE MOHRDIECK
Whanganui
Prison staffing
I'm sure your columnist Kate Stewart (Chronicle, March 18) would agree there should be sufficient staff to operate our prisons, especially at a time of unpredicted and unprecedented prisoner growth.
For this reason, a small number (out of a Corrections officer workforce of around 3600) have been seconded to work in several prisons while new staff are being trained.
These hard-working staff have agreed to move away from family and home for considerable lengths of time, to ensure prisons are appropriately staffed.
The cost of accommodation for seconded Corrections staff in Northland falls within the department's standard guidelines of no more than $130-$150 (excluding GST) per night, not the $300-plus per night Ms Stewart quoted. Payment of other expenses is determined by the collective employment agreement and the department's business travel policy.
The secondments are not connected with the training of extra recruits, which is already happening in large numbers.
In the past year more than 600 new Corrections officers have graduated and we are seeking more recruits.
Some Chronicle readers may be interested in finding out more about signing up.
It's disappointing that during a time of rapid growth in prisoner numbers, the accommodation of several dozen Corrections officers has become a focus.
PAUL TOMLINSON
Lower North Regional Commissioner, Department of Corrections
Missing faces
On March 20 I attended a meeting organised by Horizons Regional Council proposing measures to mitigate the effects of the Matarawa Stream in flood.
This proposal is a targeted rate which will affect 600 ratepayers and perhaps eventually extend to include others in the catchment area.
I was surprised and disappointed that no one from the Chronicle thought this of sufficient importance to send a journalist to report on it. So much for the relevance of a local newspaper.
I was even more disappointed, although not so surprised, that not one district councillor bothered to attend. Not even the mayor who, until last year, was one of the landowners affected. Graham Adams did us the courtesy of sending his apologies.
This situation has occurred because of the neglect of successive councils to maintain the waterways and dams, even though they have collected rates from some of these landowners for more than 40 years and have used the streams as part of the wastewater separation scheme.
It is my understanding that Horizons has come up with this proposal at the request of the district council and it is to be paid for by a targeted rate to Horizons. This is in addition to the general rate we already pay to protect areas such as Balgownie and, if rumour is to be believed, five houses on Wikitoria Rd one councillor is lobbying for.
As this was apparently a joint decision, was there not one of you who felt an obligation to come and explain it to those who will be greatly affected by it?
RITA WEARN
Whanganui
Catch-up needed
A. Ellery (letters, March 15) seeks clarity on some matters covered in past letters.
As a taster on contradictions in the Bible, he could compare Matthew and Luke on the matter of Jesus' birthplace and parentage. This is treated in detail in Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, pp118-121, where several authors of biblical studies are referenced inter alia.
Mr Ellery seems to have missed the significant treatment given the Piltdown debacle in these pages in Dec '14/Jan '15, the essence of which was that, over many decades since, there has been a steady supply of intermediate fossils to link modern species with earlier versions.
Finally, I must stress, and not for the first time, that in science a "theory" is an explanatory model that makes possible predictions, which in turn can be tested for validity.
Since Darwin and Wallace separately published in 1859, evolutionary theory has produced a wealth of attested evidence, perhaps most dramatically the DNA/RNA molecules that code and replicate for almost all life over a three billion-plus-year span.
It is time for Mr Ellery to update his reading.
RUSS HAY
Whanganui
Farce accompli
The Wanganui Chronicle is to be congratulated for its ability to concentrate all reports of criminal activity on just one page of the March 16 edition, Page 8.
Not only do crimes covering assault, theft, drugs and drink driving appear, a crime against logic and reasoning is reported on.
Obviously, I refer to the granting of the legal status of a person to the Whanganui River. It appears that the river now has all the rights, duties and liabilities that come with personhood ... amazing!
I note that the Treaty Negotiations Minister (aka Minister of Giveaways) Chris Finlayson says the river could now be represented in court proceedings and that the granting of such status is no stranger than family trusts, or companies, or incorporated societies. These entities can be held to account for their actions, so obviously the river is tarred with the same brush.
Let's look at possible problems facing the river. We all know the river is sick, so will it be entitled to a sickness benefit paid to the trustees? If someone drowns, will the river appear in court on a murder or manslaughter charge?
Obviously, the river will now take over the responsibility for flood damage claims and will also dredge itself regularly.
Undoubtedly, river users such as the Waimarie, the rowing clubs, marina and wharf users, and perhaps even the Coastguard will be charged a fee also payable to the trustees.
This will lead to the requirement to pay tax and the river will have to be registered for GST. In addition, te awa will have to comply with all relevant health and safety legislation. Its rates bill payable to the district council will be astronomical and Horizons' bite of the cherry will not be small.
Still, the $30 million should keep the river afloat for a while. Perhaps the first improvement to the health of the river could be the removal of the tree just downstream of the Dublin St Bridge. This must obviously be a thorn in the side of te awa and removal will alleviate the poor person's pain!
D PARTNER
Eastown
