A small but mighty symbol of humanity
I write regarding the recent article where National MP Sam Uffindell criticised the Dunedin council for what he called ‘‘unnecessary spending’’ on a seesaw in Dunedin.
I ask, incredulously, does this government want to wring out every ounce of joy from our lives?
Playgrounds are hubs of happiness and essential investments in the well-being of a city’s inhabitants. As a former QLDC councillor I know they form a very small part of a council’s budget.
In cities playgrounds assume even more importance and while it’s hard to quantify such joy, anyone who walks by a busy playground can feel its impact.
I commend the council for prioritising places that bring people together. Joy may be difficult to cost out - but that doesn’t make it any less essential. Sometimes, a seesaw isn’t just a seesaw: it’s a small but mighty symbol of what makes a city liveable and human.
Gillian Macleod
Queenstown
Tauranga sucks
Who in Dunedin cares what Sam Uffindell thinks or says about our fine city centre. Progressing as he did from school bully to a dubiously decorated Dunedin scarfie flat he should have taken time to appreciate Dunedin when he was here for what is. A real city of history and culture.
That he went on to be the MP for Tauranga doesn’t say much for the voters of that city. I say city but is it really a city? Population says it is but culturally it’s a desert.
I lived in Tauranga many years ago when its population was about 60,000. It was a pleasant place climatically but it never felt like a city. It has no city centre to speak of and in my opinion, no soul.
I visited there in recent times, with the population approaching 150,000 and found any charm in it had gone. It is a mass of new suburbs spread over a huge area jammed with traffic.
Many who moved to Tauranga in the past did so to escape the Auckland rat race. Ironically they are now a smaller version of it. Tauranga may have long surpassed Dunedin in population but it will never surpass its character.
I was not a fan of our city centre playground at first but it has grown on me. George St is coming back to life despite the difficulties all retailers are encountering in these times.
You can’t buy class. Dunedin has it, Tauranga doesn’t.
Richard O’Mahony
North East Valley
Cartoon disturbs
I am greatly disturbed by the cartoon by Shaun Yeo (ODT 26.7.25) which adds cannibalism to the alleged shortcomings/misdemeanours/crimes of the state of Israel. The image is in the poorest taste, barely rising to the level of hysterical undergraduate comment which has characterised most of the reaction to the terrorist acts of Hamas on October 7 2023 and has no basis in reality.
Julian Faigan
Roslyn
All-seeing eye
Regarding Sir Ian Taylor’s latest open letter (Opinion ODT 25.7.25). The psychological description of somebody insisting in having the last word is a need for validation, control or to protect one’s ego.
Everybody gets it right in hindsight Sir Ian. I am sure every country that went into lockdowns over the Covid pandemic, in your words, left a country exhausted, divided and unprepared. PM Ardern needed to be an oracle as well as the leader in a very challenging time for everybody.
Ian Davie
Careys Bay
Mirror man
Re Sir Ian Taylor, would it be possible to find a suitable soundproof box with built-in mirror in which to put him?
Harry Love
North East Valley
I’ve done my bit, so should some other folk
Over the decades I have to confess I’ve made a significant contribution to the coffers of the transport division of the police, mostly through careless speeding fines or being ‘‘caught by the camera’’ so to speak.
I have always had the money to pay my fines, even though it’s been a somewhat interesting discussion around the dinner table prior to the said payment.
I am somewhat caught by the current government’s determination to bash those who don’t fit into their increasingly neatly prescribed ways of living, including taking their cars etc.
I would take the government seriously if they would invest in (it would have to be more obviously) uncovering the excesses of the wealthy and super wealthy with regard to tax avoidance and tax evasion.
That amount could possibly make a strong contribution to several hospitals around the country.
Ah, but then I forget, people like to look after their own kind.
Roly Scott
Dunedin
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@odt.co.nz
