Letters: NZ Post’s latest move another erosion of our way of life
NZ Post’s cut will be sorely felt
NZ Post can wrap its service cuts in whatever important-sounding words it likes, such as “sustainability” and “commercial responsibility”, but the fact remains that communities are deprived of access to basic facilities.
It is hardly surprising that people are sending fewer letters since NZ Post increases the cost of a stamp frequently. I, and others, sent no overseas Christmas cards this time as the cost of postage was unaffordable, costing more than the cards.
Another erosion of our way of life.
Anne Martin, Helensville.
Urgent climate action needed
After this latest bout of extreme weather, you really have to wonder when the penny will finally drop about climate change?
How long can we continue to deny or merely pay lip service to what is happening in front of our eyes?
Another infrastructure-shaking deluge due to warm tropical air, more severe flooding, more human tragedy. Just when will this succession of “unprecedented” extreme weather events finally be treated for what they are - man-made climate change?
The scientists know what is happening and why. We are pumping so much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere and we are trapping more and more heat. The oceans are warming, and snowcaps everywhere are melting. Around the world, extreme weather events and record-high temperatures are the result.
The climate scientists are ringing the alarm bells as loudly as they can.
The problem is that most people, whether voters or politicians, are still not really listening. Too many of us simply want business as usual while powerful special interests are feeding destructive disinformation. The most powerful political leader in the world even declares climate science is a hoax.
But temperatures continue to rise, ice shelves melt, droughts increase, storms get more intense. Australia is now experiencing life-threatening temperatures approaching 50C. When Antarctica and Greenland are ice-free, its projected sea levels will be some 200 feet, or around 65 metres, higher.
Just how much worse does it have to get until we all wake up to reality? Every year we delay seriously curtailing Co2 and methane emissions means the result for future generations will be worse. No nation, no individual, no industry can shirk its responsibility because we all share the same fragile environment.
Like a tobacco smoker who ignores all the warnings until they get lung cancer, we’ve hidden behind complacency and indifference for far too long. We all need to rapidly quit burning fossil fuels and stop deforestation for agriculture before it’s finally too late. Denial or indifference are no longer a rational option. The window of opportunity to act is rapidly closing.
Jeff Hayward, Auckland.
Call it what it is
In his 2010 book on the English language, Mother Tongue, Bill Bryson claims the Romans had 80 socially offensive, taboo words.
Today we have four, all are avoided by news media.
Unfortunately, we can now add two more “c” words to this list ... climate change.
For reasons best known to themselves, the media prefer euphemisms like “heat wave”, “weather bomb”, and “100-year event” rather than using the double c word.
Why? Climate change is a global reality. It is among the most studied, researched, analysed and reviewed subjects in the history of science. To deny the findings of this research is to deny reality.
Extreme weather events must be reported for what they are ... a consequence of, or at least influenced by, anthropogenic climate change.
To euphemistically hide this reality behind palatable phrases is to pretend anthropogenic climate change isn’t real, the intense science behind it is false, and urgent political action is unnecessary.
Ian Findlay, Napier.
Situation vacant
Now that replays and the later dissection of international games are available ad infinitum, any rugby coach with considerable experience should have the ability to coach an All Blacks team.
All teams play to their strengths, whether it be forwards or backs, with a strong emphasis on defence.
Given the opportunity to choose a coach, one would be looking for a backs coach who can formulate a plan to beat that defence. Wayne Smith and now Tony Brown stand out in that area and we should be looking for someone similar.
We do not lose games because of poor forward ability, so that is not a problem.
Respect for the players is also a very important ingredient as, without it, their minds are not solely on the game as they should be.
Rugby is a simple game, so selecting the coach should be the same.
Reg Dempster, Albany.
We will miss Collins
Judith Collins, we will miss your humour and hard work.
Wendy Tighe-Umbers, Parnell.
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