The world doesn’t need more gold, or mining
I was absolutely horrified and sickened to see the map published in the ODT on Wednesday of all the sites in Central Otago that greedy mining companies want to poison and destroy in their fruitless search for more wealth. Modern gold mining is nothing like the gold mining of the past. It uses hazardous chemicals like cyanide to extract the gold and leaves behind huge lakes of wastewater and toxic slurry containing arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, which leach into surrounding land and waterways, poisoning them for the foreseeable future.
The world doesn’t need more gold. Tens of thousands of tonnes of gold are simply held in bank vaults while our environment is ravaged looking for more. Central Otago doesn’t need mining.
The companies involved take their profits overseas and bring in their own skilled workforce. They avoid tax – Macraes, owned by OceanaGold, paid no income tax in 2023 – and they leave their poisonous mess for local ratepayers to clean up.
The beautiful environment of Central Otago deserves better than this.
In good company
Anna Breman, NZ Reserve Bank governor, is in good company in writing to support US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell — and the independence of reserve banks everywhere — in speaking out against the outrageous predations of the US Justice Department. The governors of reserve banks in England, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Canada, Korea, Indonesia, Brazil, Australia and South Africa were all signatories and none of the foreign ministers of these countries have spoken against them. Even Donald Trump is now denying knowledge of the Justice Department’s action.
Looks to me like Dr Breman is on much firmer ground than Foreign Minister Winston Peters or the ODT editorial writer of Friday, January 16.
Criticism not that useful, whether you agree or not
I would like to address your article "President Trump’s toxic trail" (ODT, 14.1.25) as I was struck by your use of terms such as "toadies", "toxic" and "stooges". When Trump and his administration are treated from the outset as simply moronic, narcissistic, or defective in character, something important gets missed. Starting from that assumption makes it easy to dismiss outcomes without really engaging with how and why particular policies are pursued, or what interests they serve. That, in turn, allows the administration to continue largely unchallenged on the substance of the issues at hand. Perhaps in 2016 this sort of rhetorical flourish could be understandable following the dismay which the Trump presidency caused, but 10 years later I don’t think it is appropriate or useful now that he has proven himself serious by his actions — whether you agree with them or not.
Quake obsession absurd
In 1999 I made a submission to the DCC pointing out heritage was of huge importance to Dunedin. I suggested a heritage planner and awards. For a period there was a renaissance and a push to set Dunedin up as New Zealand’s capital for heritage. The current obsession with earthquake risk is absurd. The total recorded earthquake deaths in New Zealand are 460. There are around the same annual deaths for motor vehicles. Year upon year there are 5000 deaths for smoking, same for obesity. So about 10,500 a year for car crashes, smoking and obesity combined. Since just 1999 that makes 283,500 deaths. The current legislation risk assessment is insane and fails common sense scrutiny. The council should reject central government’s ludicrous risk assessment criteria that threatens to destroy this city’s irreplaceable built heritage.
FPP means who wins deserves to
The forthcoming by-election for a seat on the Dunedin City Council raises some interesting points.
There is no need for the ridiculous single transferable vote (STV) system, as only one candidate with the majority of votes succeeds — no hand-me-downs to the next candidate and so on.
Who wins will deserve to win, not like some who the STV voting system favoured at the last election.
The turnout of people voting will be extremely low and the projected cost is out of proportion to elect one person.
The cheapest way would be to have a postal vote and eliminate all the drop-off points.
The unsuccessful candidates at the last election may not wish to try again and face another defeat.
There will, however, be a new face on the council, whoever it may be.
Calling out hypocrisy
All options are on the table "to stop the slaughter'’: US and Trump threatens to deploy soldiers.
So President Trump is threatening Iran with military action because of the protesters and now he is threatening military action in Minneapolis because of protesters and then we get Russia's UN ambassador saying they strongly urge the hotheads in Washington and other capitals to come to their senses.
Well, that's like the pot calling the kettle black.
I guess what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: letters@odt.co.nz
