Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including electric vehicles and road user tax, shifting the new hospital to Wakari and criticism of ACT MP David Seymour.
The weighty matter of the electric vehicle
Michael Woods states there are now in excess of 62,000 EVs on our roads (ODT, 17.1.23) yet I have not heard him mention any move to force EV drivers to pay their fair share of road user tax.
While he pats his own back for this ‘‘achievement’’ and continues to bribe drivers via the clean-car discount, he forgets the quality of our roading is in dire straits.
EV drivers have to date been given a free ride, no pun intended. Their vehicles are regularly around 300-500kg heavier than an equivalent petrol or diesel option. Their clean-car rebates are derived from a ‘‘tax’’ on the sale of petrol or diesel driven vehicles. They drive these significantly heavier vehicles on roading they make no financial contribution to.
It’s time the government levelled the playing field and presented EV drivers with a bill based on the weight of their vehicle and their share of the cost of road maintenance.
Susan Broad
Outram
New Dunedin Hospital
Ah, the hospital. It could have been well-advanced by now, up on the hill in Wakari. The $50-60 million spent so far would have been saved for useful construction, and the problems of geotechnical instability, traffic madness and zero dedicated parking, all removed. Sadly, one ‘‘invested loudmouth’’ in council, and a few other sycophants, dictated its current hapless position.
But perhaps all is not lost, were we to shift the proposed complex to the free Wakari site, with abundant flat, sound land for everything required. Even ready-built accommodation for workers.
At the present city site, there is no prospect of any sane contractor in Australasia providing a fixed price, when there is no finished plan, unknown ground issues, and a volatile materials market. Any price given would be so filled with contingencies and escalation clauses as to be effectively meaningless.
A move to Wakari would almost certainly result in the provision of a realistically achievable cost. The city site could then become a marvellous CBD green space, and an ideal location for medium density housing. It could be a win-win, rather than the lose-lose we are tracking towards.
Ian Pillans
Dunedin
It’s good to see reports on TV news that can get progression on a building in the South Island. Christchurch stadium is progressing but our Otago hospital still looks a dream. Does this mean that the team from Christchurch will return home to work on their stadium? It looks as if to qualify for a building with the ‘‘Wellington wonders’’ our site has to sit desolate for as long as the earthquake sites in Christchurch.
Alan Shooter
Waldronville
Farming
I fully agree with business editor Sally Rae's message ‘‘Let’s make 2023 the Year of the Farmer’’ (ODT 11.1.22) and using our natural grown sustainable products, fibres and foods, rather than importing unsustainable rubbish to cast into overflowing landfills.
But she neglects to mention a very important land based industry, namely forestry products.
That is to construct buildings, furniture to fill houses, biomass to fuel heating systems, fuel oil to run vehicles, and various other products under research.
And don't forget climate change mitigation. Also that most of this resource comes from the, much maligned, locally grown exotic pine tree.
Do I detect a smidgen of Beef+Lamb bias against ‘‘a plethora of pine trees... taking up some of the world's best food producing soils’’?
Jim Childerstone
Hampden
Forestry consultant
Alleged ‘‘anti-Māori’’ instances outlined
When the Government attempted to boost Māori Covid-19 vaccinations, Seymour leaked the access code to the public on the principle that everyone should be equal in health, despite Māori lagging far behind the rest of the population in health statistics.
For this he was widely condemned. He did not apologise.
Seymour doesn’t understand that we must ensure equity before we can enjoy equality.
The ACT Party will abolish the Ministry of Māori Development, the Office for Crown-Māori Relations and He Poutama Rangatahi.
The latter is a programme to help at-risk Māori youth gain employment. Other state organisations designed to serve marginalised people will be chopped too.
To say that the prevalent anti-Māori rhetoric today stems from the decisions of the Labour Party is asinine.
It is fuelled by misinformation designed to hoodwink the public, bias, or outright ignorance.
J. Eunson
Wellington
