Neglect of CBD site raises wider question
There has been understandable lament from the city council over the demolition by neglect of a prominent section of the Princes St precinct, and rightly so.
How do they reconcile their hand-wringing with the same situation being played out with the former Sims Engineering Building in Port Chalmers? Who owns this? And why aren't they being faced up to before the rot is irredeemable.
Dunedin City Council property services group manager Anna Nilsen replies: The DCC owns the Stevenson Cook/Sims building and is working with members of the Port Chalmers Foundry Trust to support their plans for the building. Good progress is being made on this exciting project, and thanks to the work of the trust the roof trusses now have coverings and are protected ahead of winter.
Port Chalmers Foundry Society co-chairwoman Kris Smith replies: The DCC is currently working on decontaminating the site and stabilising the bank. The PC Foundry Society has recently contracted an organisation to clean the bricks of plant and wind-blown soil, cap the exposed tops of bricks to allow them to dry out and prevent further moisture impacting the mortar and wrap the steel trusses and exposed timbers to provide further protection. This work has been completed. We are also working with our architect to stage the development work. We are working closely and constructively with the DCC on this project.
University values
We must ask what value universities have in this country.
When the government pays for young people to become tradies but not university students, this belies what the government thinks of universities.
In better times governments have constantly pushed universities to increase their foreign student intake and at the same time assume the risk of a sudden loss of a funding stream. Now this has happened with Covid there has been no recognition or help by the government, yet at the same time the bungee jumpers of Queenstown were given a multimillion-dollar grant only to line their shareholders’ pockets.
The value of universities is not appreciated in New Zealand.
Carry on capping
In the 1990s Otago students made a classic TV comedy series Back Of The Y.
Last week I attended the Back to the Flat (Back to the Future spoof) Capping Show. It was both honest and hilarious. The Sextet, the Sexytet and the Selwyn Ballet and the band and the Star Wars drama deserve to be on TV. Carry on the Capping Show.
Potential for mass motoring confusion abounds
I am fully supportive of retaining Māori history, culture, language and traditions. However I had to check it wasn’t April 1 when an item on the news suggested that place name signage on our roading network was to be progressively changed to have the Māori version in large letters with the English version in small letters underneath.
What are the New Zealand Transport Authority thinking? Or indeed are they?
In addition to being totally unnecessary and inappropriate it has the potential to create a massive safety risk on our roads.
How many motorists will be forced to brake so they can figure out where they want to go? I would have thought that road safety was a key function of NZTA .
I am prepared to bet that the large majority of New Zealanders , including Māori, speak and understand English, that’s at least 88.3% of us.
Why also did NZTA decide to change its name to Waka Kotahi?
My understanding of the translation of this is "one vessel".
How is this relevant to the roading network and the cars, trucks , and buses that use this?
Priorities at the university are questionable
Most of us know that we must budget and buy only what we really need and can afford. However it is obvious that some university personnel are choosing to ignore any budget and buy just what they want — no matter the cost or repercussions.
The ODT headline "University to acquire Naylor home site" (29.5.23): this decision may prove to be a wise one in the future but why would anyone, who is already in massive debt continue purchasing properties at this time? Already the university owns buildings which are used for student accommodation and a state of the art hostel is currently being built in Albany/Forth Sts to house 450 new students. They have also purchased several privately owned houses in recent years.
Surely it is the main focus for any university to employ excellent lecturers and staff so that all students are provided with an education second-to-none. Rather than providing extra buildings, when debt is excessive and jobs and courses are in danger of being lost, this university must concentrate on saving money and working to repay debt.
All students should expect to be housed in warm, clean healthy homes and already most local private landlords are providing excellent accommodation for thousands of students. Dunedin people must not allow anything or anyone to downgrade our unique Otago University standard of education.
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