Letters: Woke? It’s better to be prepared for the worst when storms hit
Woke? It’s better to be prepared
Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said it was woke to declare a state of emergency for Cyclone Vaianu and may have been correct in refusing to do so.
Broadcaster Mike Hosking also commented that all this was an overreaction well before the cyclone hit. He saw this as New Zealanders being treated like wimps.
However, the weather is a fickle foe and things don’t always turn out as expected. For this reason, a general warning had to be put out. As it turns out, the cyclone was thankfully not as devastating as expected, although some areas were badly affected, with people being evacuated and response teams needing to be activated.
Cyclone Gabrielle still looms large in our memories and maybe lessons learned from that meant that in this case lives were not lost and damage was reduced. If a similar weather event happens in the future, which assuredly it will, will Hosking and Little foot the bill for rescues made and damage done because decision-makers decided not to treat people like wimps and for fear of being labelled woke? Or maybe a more cost-effective way of doing this would be to charge those people who act recklessly and irresponsibly. If they do get into trouble in a situation where the dangers have been made obvious, they are then made accountable for their actions.
Bernard Walker, Mount Maunganui.
Forecasters not at fault
I am amazed at the criticism by Mike Hosking and Heather du Plessis-Allan of the weather forecasters advising us to be prepared for Cyclone Vaianu. The fact that the cyclone changed course was not the forecasters’ fault.
Hosking and du Plessis-Allan need to just talk to the many people who were affected in Bay of Plenty and the Hawke’s Bay regions. Much better to be prepared than sorry.
A big shout-out to all those marae and volunteers who offered support.
Katherine Swift, Kohimarama.
McIlroy the master
Rory McIlroy played superbly to win the US Masters by one shot over Scottie Scheffler, the best golfer in the world. Hooray.
Also, Irishman Shane Lowry aced the 190-yard, par-three sixth hole on day three to get his second hole-in-one a few years after his first one. So go Ireland. It sure was a great day for the Irish, which I can always enjoy as my father was Irish.
So McIlroy was only the fourth golfer in over 50 years to win back-to-back Masters, the previous being the amazing Tiger Woods.
The only fault I know of in the interesting game of golf is that in every other sport, the highest score wins. So it is a unique sport to enjoy with the lowest score winning, and now McIlroy has his second Green Jacket after four very exciting days.
Murray Hunter, Titirangi.
Real-life thriller
A few years ago, I came across and bought a paperback written in the 1950s, Night of Camp David, which asked the question on the cover: What would happen if the president of the USA went stark-raving mad?
Well, now we know. And this scary scenario continues in living colour and with the world witnessing it with horror, not the expected gentlemanly negotiation between diplomats in an Enid Blyton theme, but through a mixture of Franz Kafka, George Orwell and Edgar Allen Poe.
Hopefully, we will survive. Cross your fingers and everything else that can be crossed.
Hilton Woodroofe, Matamata.
Valuable insights
Jade Varney’s opinion piece (April 13) on the influence of social media on young people deserves to be an item for discussion in all intermediate and senior classrooms.
Many young teenagers are unsure about who they are and how they appear to others. Varney describes very vividly the ways in which unscrupulous people can use their insecurity for their own purposes and profit, and the disastrous effects the results can have on fragile self-esteem.
Anne Martin, Helensville.
More docos, please
As a lover of New Zealand stories and cinema, I am perplexed to see that the New Zealand Film Commission spends much more on narrative feature films than it does on documentaries.
Our documentaries are world-class and we boast the likes of Katie Wolfe, Florian Habicht and Peter Young, among others, all in their filmmaking prime.
Why not put a bit more cash towards the good old documentary?
Ian Anderson, Herne Bay.
Offers of advice
If Dave Rennie is serious about winning the next Rugby World Cup, then as a matter of urgency, he needs to sign up the Herald correspondents Jock MacVicar, Gary Carter and Larry Mitchell as advisers.
Not only do they know everything between them, but they are also most willing to share their knowledge.
Phil Chitty, Albany.
- Go beyond the headlines with our daily news podcast The Front Page: