Post by Kiwi Frontline on May 29, 2019 6:04:37 GMT 12
Dominion Post 29/5/19
THE STUFF OF DEMOCRACY
Qualified journalists reporting regularly in newspapers and online on local government (including district health board) activity are essential (Cash boost for local democracy, May 28).
Their almost complete absence from those spheres over recent decades has been detrimental to both local agencies and the citizenry.
The business of local government isn’t worth reporting only when a few councillors or board members behave badly, or even when there is a longrunning matter of public anxiety over essential service.
In my 15-year experience, almost every formal council or board meeting, and the numerous committees that feed those public events, were full of fascinating and important discussions, debates and decisions that often had an enduring impact on the unwitting citizens who didn’t know, or didn’t realise, they were happening.
Like the meetings of local school boards of trustees, local government deliberations are the stuff of our democracy. They clothe the real value and importance of little groups of locally elected people making critical decisions about our rates, our taxes, while trying to maintain good oversight of the usually capable, sometimes unhelpful, professional officials whose behaviour must be monitored and directed.
On the widest scale, our democracy relies on the fourth estate for integrity and accountability. At the smallest local level, where over time billions of dollars and a huge range of essential services are governed, monitoring, evaluation and transparent reporting are the only reliable basis for public trust in local agencies.
May the Local Democracy Reporters expand into big watchful, highly trained reporters with generous editors and interested readers. [abridged]
JUDITH AITKEN, Paekakariki
NZ Herald 29/5/19
IWI SETTLEMENTS
It’s very heartening to read (Herald, May 20-24) about the progress being made by many iwi in bettering their position — and I applaud the Herald for publishing it. It would be helpful to see statistics on crime and imprisonment, employment, health and drug issues in the South Island (where Ngai Tahu have built a strong financial base and been able to put much of it into education, jobs etc) compared to the far North (where Ngapuhi have not agreed among themselves to settle and therefore are struggling to improve their standard of living).
REX BEER, Manly.
Gisborne Herald 28/5/19
PUBLIC BEING RIDDEN OVER ROUGHSHOD
The Cook obelisk on Kaiti Beach Road is a national monument, and as such, any plan to modify that reserve should have been put to the public — first — before anything was done.
As I have repeatedly pointed out, this is yet another case of a complete lack of public consultation. The Department of Conservation (DoC) and District Council are at fault, along with other parties who arrogantly push their own barrows without regard for public feeling.
Not only is the Cook site a listed national historic monument, it was partly funded by the people of New Zealand through subscription. DoC was entrusted with the reserve’s oversight, but has trampled on this trust by allowing the site’s integrity to be trashed by these intrusions.
A monstrous concrete plinth (for a statue I assume?) has destroyed the large grass area behind the obelisk. It looks like it was deliberately planned to overshadow the Cook obelisk. The stalled and misnamed “thousand-year” bridge will complete the takeover.
Last Saturday’s Gisborne Herald briefly outlined the “redevelopment”, but to date not one fully-laid-out plan or architectural drawing has been produced to show the public how it will look when completed. Are we ever going to get one?
The site’s original purpose has been totally and unnecessarily compromised — the Maori stories could have been told without the slighting of Cook and existing monuments.
That the wider public has at no point been consulted, nor given the courtesy of design drawings to show fully what is intended with statues and the like is a disgrace.
We are being ridden over roughshod and I for one strongly object.
ROGER HANDFORD
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers
THE STUFF OF DEMOCRACY
Qualified journalists reporting regularly in newspapers and online on local government (including district health board) activity are essential (Cash boost for local democracy, May 28).
Their almost complete absence from those spheres over recent decades has been detrimental to both local agencies and the citizenry.
The business of local government isn’t worth reporting only when a few councillors or board members behave badly, or even when there is a longrunning matter of public anxiety over essential service.
In my 15-year experience, almost every formal council or board meeting, and the numerous committees that feed those public events, were full of fascinating and important discussions, debates and decisions that often had an enduring impact on the unwitting citizens who didn’t know, or didn’t realise, they were happening.
Like the meetings of local school boards of trustees, local government deliberations are the stuff of our democracy. They clothe the real value and importance of little groups of locally elected people making critical decisions about our rates, our taxes, while trying to maintain good oversight of the usually capable, sometimes unhelpful, professional officials whose behaviour must be monitored and directed.
On the widest scale, our democracy relies on the fourth estate for integrity and accountability. At the smallest local level, where over time billions of dollars and a huge range of essential services are governed, monitoring, evaluation and transparent reporting are the only reliable basis for public trust in local agencies.
May the Local Democracy Reporters expand into big watchful, highly trained reporters with generous editors and interested readers. [abridged]
JUDITH AITKEN, Paekakariki
NZ Herald 29/5/19
IWI SETTLEMENTS
It’s very heartening to read (Herald, May 20-24) about the progress being made by many iwi in bettering their position — and I applaud the Herald for publishing it. It would be helpful to see statistics on crime and imprisonment, employment, health and drug issues in the South Island (where Ngai Tahu have built a strong financial base and been able to put much of it into education, jobs etc) compared to the far North (where Ngapuhi have not agreed among themselves to settle and therefore are struggling to improve their standard of living).
REX BEER, Manly.
Gisborne Herald 28/5/19
PUBLIC BEING RIDDEN OVER ROUGHSHOD
The Cook obelisk on Kaiti Beach Road is a national monument, and as such, any plan to modify that reserve should have been put to the public — first — before anything was done.
As I have repeatedly pointed out, this is yet another case of a complete lack of public consultation. The Department of Conservation (DoC) and District Council are at fault, along with other parties who arrogantly push their own barrows without regard for public feeling.
Not only is the Cook site a listed national historic monument, it was partly funded by the people of New Zealand through subscription. DoC was entrusted with the reserve’s oversight, but has trampled on this trust by allowing the site’s integrity to be trashed by these intrusions.
A monstrous concrete plinth (for a statue I assume?) has destroyed the large grass area behind the obelisk. It looks like it was deliberately planned to overshadow the Cook obelisk. The stalled and misnamed “thousand-year” bridge will complete the takeover.
Last Saturday’s Gisborne Herald briefly outlined the “redevelopment”, but to date not one fully-laid-out plan or architectural drawing has been produced to show the public how it will look when completed. Are we ever going to get one?
The site’s original purpose has been totally and unnecessarily compromised — the Maori stories could have been told without the slighting of Cook and existing monuments.
That the wider public has at no point been consulted, nor given the courtesy of design drawings to show fully what is intended with statues and the like is a disgrace.
We are being ridden over roughshod and I for one strongly object.
ROGER HANDFORD
sites.google.com/site/kiwifrontline/letters-submitted-to-newspapers