Is mass poisoning really conservation?
After 35 years observing the nonsensical political and bureaucratic tinkering with the public health system I thought I’d seen it all regarding the foolish agendas of those in power.
I quote from Landcare scientists regarding the vast 1080 carpet bombing agenda still being perpetrated by the so-called Department of Conservation (Doc) who, in my opinion, would be more appropriately labelled DoD (Department of Destruction).
According to Landcare scientists, "Two years after the poisoning operation, rat abundance was about four times greater than it had been before." This is the common experience concerning Doc’s mismanagement of huge areas of New Zealand’s land mass.
What Doc are actually doing is temporarily decreasing the rat population with their 1080 drops, to which the rats respond with their incredibly reproductive capacity, followed by Doc repeating the exercise because there are more rats than ever.
It is often said that to repeat the same exercise and expect a different result is a form of insanity. So why do they go on doing it?
The above is just one aspect of this stupid agenda which kills a multitude of species by cruel and prolonged deaths. To those who have researched the subject, the harm extends far beyond Doc’s effectively ensuring the maintenance of the rat population, but on this score alone surely there’s a politician willing to raise it as the stupid agenda it has always been.
How has mass poisoning of the natural environment ever been permitted under the umbrella of an organisation with the label of "conservation"?
Value,money
The headline "Council CEO’s salary nears $500,000" must have raised a few eyebrows and remuneration for the executive leadership was more than $2.78 million.
There were 626 fulltime DCC staff employees and salaries ranged from less than $60,000 to almost $300,000 for seven lucky workers (ODT 20.10.25). These payments were so much higher than that paid for the then mayor or councillors and just think how many business people, landlords or even farmers are earning $500,000 each year. There will be a few but not the numbers that we are led to believe.
Does Dunedin really need more than 600 DCC staff members?
Essential maintenance must be done but think of the ridiculous expensive projects which have been forced through and which affect so many locals adversely.
I say use the ideas and experience of wise councillors and local people. Save money and keep people in work.
[Abridged — length. Editor.]
Well done
Congratulations to the ODT. At a time when the public are getting a bit scratchy and the prime minister is in denial, you persist in getting the climate news into the headlines.
On 12.11.25, that woman for all seasons, Elspeth McLean, managed to entangle climate change with women’s undergarments, in a brilliant piece of writing.
Back she comes on Wednesday (10.12.25), with Christmas around the corner, combining the growing concerns about climate with making a cake using what she calls a demonic eggbeater. Well done, again.
Elspeth has the ability to capture the readers’ attention so that you stay with her right to the end where all the good stuff is.
And thirdly your editorial, also on the 10th, states the obvious. With the outline of recent calamities "our thinking needs a reset".
Getting away with watering down tobacco stance
I was not surprised to read in the ODT that this government’s rewriting of smokefree legislation has led to stalled progress in reducing smoking, but I am surprised that Associate Minister of Health Casey Costello has got away with her promotion of the tobacco industry so easily.
Contrast our stance with Mexico, which bans smoking and vaping in all public areas and enforces a complete prohibition on the commercialisation, sale and importation of e-cigarettes and vaping devices.
On a recent visit we readily noticed how clean the streets and public places looked without butts everywhere and the proliferation of small kiosks/dairies were surviving just fine without the added profit from tobacco sales. No anti-ram bollards necessary outside these shops.
I hope that at the next election people who vote New Zealand First also realise they are voting at the expense of an increased burden on our health system.
Also, I have loved a couple of the latest editorials. The one on Donald Trump made me laugh out loud.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: letters@odt.co.nz
