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Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Letters to the Editor: landfill, hospital cuts and spouting
Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including the new Smooth Hill landfill site, another round of cuts to the hospital, and just how important is spouting? Message to Lee: keep rubbish close to home As a resident of Winton I would like to inform Cr Lee Vandervis that many of us here do not want refuse from other centres outside our province coming to AB Lime's site. Build your own. We don't want to be the dumping ground for other provinces' refuse/waste. Dunedin has been dithering for 32 years. Just imagine what could have been done with the $85.4 million if action had been taken all those years ago when $7m was mooted. Consultancy fees have cost Dunedin ratepayers huge sums too. Anyway, why on earth are you talking landfill when very efficient incinerators are available and are multifunctional? Contradictory votes? Dunedin City Council just voted to go ahead with the Smooth Hill landfill. So on one hand they want to dig a big hole on Smooth Hill, so we can truck our rubbish there. But on the very same day they debated carbon-friendly projects. The landfill in Winton could be accessed by rail, so no need to burn tons and tons of diesel to build a new landfill that will never be accessible by rail. Looking for carbon-friendly projects? Being dumped on Many Dunedin councillors today (27.5.25) in their meeting say they don't support "at any cost dumping landfill waste on other regions". Good to hear but I'm a bit confused over their values when they support dumping diverted sewage waste from the hill suburbs on South Dunedin? Which side are you on? Last Friday, another round of cuts to our hospital was revealed: after five long years of construction, the government will deliver a facility with 26 fewer beds than the current hospital, which is already over capacity. This would plainly be a disaster for the South. If this plan goes ahead it will increase waiting times for ED and for life-saving surgeries, and will ultimately force many who need frequent care out of the city. Our honorable Mayor, Jules Radich, has welcomed the announcement as "a great result". Even ignoring his ethical and democratic responsibilities, this is an election year; Jules has little to lose and everything to gain by opposing these cuts. I cannot fathom why he is assenting to this plan which will plainly cause great harm to the city. Which side are you on, Jules? [Mickey Treadwell is a Green mayoral candidate.] What He says Re "Claim hub sale call guided by God" ( ODT 24.5.25), I would have been surprised had it been otherwise: the decision to sell was made after "the local churches in the region discerned the mind of Christ together over a long period of time . . . together they felt this was the decision God would have them make." Is it likely that after consultation among a group of like-thinking people strongly desirous of selling the property, they would not get the desired response from their God? A neutral arbitrator would have been equally persuasively informed regarding current claims of rightful use of the property, and history of the provision of the land, buildings and improvements over the time it has been used both as a religious and community facility. Good try but China can be seen another way Mercy Fonoti's article on the rise of China (Opinion ODT 23.5.25) was an admirable attempt at trying to be evenhanded, but it still failed. This is because it views China through a Western minority world lens, which has at its core a deliberate omission of historical context, painting the actions of China as either capricious acts or interpreting their motivations as if they are the same kinds of imperialistic motivations that Western nations have had for 500 years. The 'contradictions' of China's behaviour she cites are not contradictions at all. Their actions in the South China Sea are solely in response to the Obama administration's initiation of 'The Pivot to Asia' in 2011, which has at its core the military containment of China. As part of this, the US and its allies conduct an annual naval exercise, explicitly practising the closure of the Straits of Molucca through which the huge bulk of China's exports and imports transit. At the same time on the eastern side of the SCS, America and its allies began ramping up relatively dormant diplomatic and military relations with Taiwan in contravention of agreements going back 50 years, that recognise the island as Chinese sovereign territory, to a point where the Biden administration actually stated they would militarily defend Taipei from invasion – an explicit abandoning of five decades of strategic ambiguity. In response, China activated its long but disputed claim to the SCS (and built its own equally illegal Diego Garcia type island base close to the Straits of Molucca) and conducts naval exercises off Taiwan (and in the Tasman Sea). These are defensive acts in response to obvious provocation, not signs of any kind of expansionist agenda. Mushrooms, ridge lines, and mould Re the recent article on the MBIE inspection of student flats. I have the greatest sympathy for the tenants suffering damp and mushrooms as I did almost within the photograph where Liam White is standing, in an old masonry house where the damp proof course had failed, some decades ago. I went to extreme lengths to replace the foundations and damp proof course and was thrilled when I managed to persuade the next door neighbour to do the same much more efficiently than I had via a masonry saw. However, seeing from a careful read of the article that most of the problems with the flats, apart from three which seemed to be in a bad way, were the same minor home maintenance issues that most home owners of old villas would find if they inspected their own home, I feel that the whole thing is what people refer to as a beat-up these days. Yes, spouting is important. I have some pulled down twice a year on a flat in that area by young ones trying (and succeeding) to get on to the roof. I have seen photos of about 20 sitting on the ridge line on numerous occasions. I would see non-functioning heat pumps as a more serious issue. Ironically, they have proved the opposite point of view to their own by their survey: that the vast majority of flats in that area despite the beating they get are fine. The MBIE tenancy and compliance team has made me agree for the first time of the government's slashing of government employees. It reminds me of a survey done a few years ago when all the houses failed, even brand-new ones. A house of someone I know failed because the footpath was always wet. They said the concrete path needed dug up and replaced. Actually, it was the spouting leaking, Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Taking the high road
Ever wished you could drive from the north of Dunedin directly to Kaikorai Valley? Peter Dowden explores the highway link that was proposed in the 1970s. Driving into town from the north, everyone believes there is a suburb (Pine Hill) on the left, then a cliff on the right below which Leith Valley nestles. But there is a sizable finger of land reaching right into North Dunedin, with a few decent-sized ''lifestyle'' sections on it. I grew up on one of these. You couldn't get a pizza delivered there because nobody believed the place existed. On my parents' title deed for the land there was a plan, criss-crossed with lines and the words ''designation removed'', indicating some sort of infrastructure had been proposed, then thought better of, which could explain the relative lack of development on this corridor. By chance I recently came across an old Dunedin City Council document, the 1972 City of Dunedin District Scheme. Flipping through the maps I was astonished to see a grey ribbon marking land designated ''street works'' and ''motorway'', connecting Pine Hill with Kaikorai. A large roundabout would have linked it with Balmacewen Rd and it would have joined end-on to Kaikorai Valley Rd, much of which had been widened to four lanes (and since narrowed to two). This road would have ramped down the tall cliff behind the DCC dog pound in Leith Valley, crossed Malvern St at the bend by the (now closed) Leith Valley Touring Park, ploughed up the Ross Creek valley, crossed the Otago Golf Club's Balmacewen course and Kaikorai Rugby Club's Bishopscourt ground, then squeezed between Balmacewen Intermediate School and the Araiteuru Marae through the Shetland St Community Garden, Kaikorai Common, Kaikorai Bowling Club and the Nairn St Reserve football field. The planners would have needed to convince several sporting bodies and many residents of a reasonably well-off part of town to shift out of the way. That's quite a few owners of backyards ready to say ''not in mine''. Perhaps that's why it was never built. • Peter Dowden now lives at the bottom of the Pine Hill cliffs.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Risk of deluge dissipates, snow still likely
A large weather system that threatened to bring a major deluge and flooding to Dunedin has moved off to the east of the country. Since the beginning of this week, Civil Defence Emergency Management and the MetService have been keeping a close eye on the front which had potential to bring heavy rain today. MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said a large area of low pressure in the Tasman Sea was forecast to move east across the South Island last night and early today. Once the weather band moved off the country, it was expected to wrap around and lash the eastern part of the South Island with heavy rain. While the weather band was still expected to wrap around, the heaviest falls would now be too far east into the Pacific Ocean to reach the Otago coastline. Initially, it looked serious enough for the Dunedin City Council to notify contractors and ask them to have staff ready to clear leaf fall, check and clear the city's stormwater systems, sweep gutters and check mud tanks. The latest MetService forecast showed there would be occasional rain today, but it was expected to clear in the afternoon, and southerlies would turn westerly. However, MetService is still forecasting some snow about higher parts of inland Otago and Southland on Friday night and Saturday morning. ''Snow is likely to affect some of the higher roads about the south of the South Island and there is a possibility that the snow accumulations above 800 metres in Fiordland, Southland and southern Otago will be enough to require a warning. ''For Stewart Island, the south coast of the South Island and coastal Clutha, there is moderate confidence that southwesterlies will reach severe gale force.'' During King's Birthday weekend, there will be some showers on Saturday in Queenstown and Cromwell, and in Invercargill all weekend, but the remainder of the region will be dry for the entire weekend. Also on Saturday, it is likely that southwest winds about Stewart Island, the south coast of the South Island, and coastal areas of Clutha and Dunedin will warrant a warning. Weekend temperatures will be cooler and are not expected to reach the mid-teens until Monday.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Letters to the Editor: Campaign spend, pay equity, rabbits and rail
Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including campaign spending, pay equity, rabbits and KiwiRail. Meaningful ideas beat enormous ad budgets In response to Mr Bill Southworth's letter (ODT 26.6.25) suggesting that both I and Future Dunedin hold an unfair advantage in the upcoming Dunedin City Council local body elections due to our ability to run a campaign. While the current rules permit each candidate to spend up to $55,000 on campaigning, Future Dunedin's actual budget is well below that limit. What sets us apart is not the scale of our spending, but the strength of our vision - a vision grounded in genuine change, practical ambition, and a deep commitment to the future of our city. We look forward to sharing that vision with the people of Dunedin and inviting their support. Mr Southworth may find reassurance in the fact that, in 2022, the candidate who invested the most in their campaign was ultimately unsuccessful. This underscores a fundamental truth in local democracy: meaningful ideas resonate more deeply than advertising budgets. Future Dunedin has also made a principled decision not to accept any external donations. We are not aligned with any political party, nor are we funded by outside interests. Should we be elected, our councillors will answer only to the people of Dunedin. Andrew Simms Mayoral and council candidate for Future Dunedin Pearl clutching ''Hipkins said he had changed his position on the appropriateness of the column because of the distraction it was causing, which was 'taking away from what is a very fair issue'.'' (RNZ 15.5.25). This was the moment Chris Hipkins showed his complete inability to lead and be the next prime minister. Instead of recognising the juicy open goal presented by the most outrageous egregious pearl-clutching episode ever seen in Parliament and treating it with the kind of derision that Helen Clark would have revelled in, he bottled it, conceding weakly to the disingenuous framing of Brooke van Velden and certain media commentators, and threw Jan Tinetti under the bus. The late Bob Jones once called Bill Rowling the ''shiver in search of a spine'': Hipkins owns this now. Pay equity was and is the issue. Andrew Nichols Kew Freight hub What I consider very good news is the proposed freight hub is to be located at Milburn. This is an ideal location and must result in fewer heavy vehicles coming through Dunedin and using SH88 to and from Port Chalmers. The CEO of Port Otago, Kevin Winders, is very supportive and has indicated this hub will not be in competition with the one to be fully developed in Mosgiel. I suggest Calder Stewart start doing it immediately before all the naysayers get together and act against this plan. John Neilson Ravensbourne Oi. Shhh. Southland Hospital's ban on its staff chatting to each other for more than 5 minutes a day, and never in the afternoon, is brilliant. The management is well aware that talking about the performance of the All Blacks, the Kardashians or Meghan and Harry takes up far too many valuable minutes, and patients may die as a consequence. To have a taciturn but kindly and efficient staff is clearly the aim, and will surely save the taxpayer many millions. Mark Stocker Christchurch We are making rabbits run run run - KiwiRail I was surprised to read comments highlighting issues with feral rabbits in the rail corridor in Otago, and suggesting that land occupiers and Otago Regional Council staff have had limited success engaging with public agencies to enable effective control of rabbits (ODT 21.5.25). KiwiRail is committed to controlling rabbits on its land and has been carrying out targeted rabbit control annually since 2019 throughout sections of the rail corridor in Balclutha, Moeraki, Waihola, Milton and Henley. This has been undertaken in collaboration with both the ORC and the local community. Pests do not respect boundaries, so pest control is a responsibility of all landowners. KiwiRail is absolutely playing its part. Ruth Brittain National vegetation contract manager, KiwiRail Recognition sought Please could the current government at the very least acknowledge the economic cost that the Labour government had to bear with the four disasters it had to finance during its terms. Kay Hannan Weston Somehow not sighting the causal nexus If the Otago University Staff for Palestine group (Letters ODT 26.5.25) are so blinkered by their prejudice against Israel that they do not see the significant causal nexus between the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 and the present situation in Gaza, then there is little hope that the group's efforts can actually make any contribution towards their ostensible aims of improving the plight for Palestinians. Before October 2023, 18,000 Palestinians from Gaza held work permits allowing them to cross the controlled border between Gaza and Israel for work each day. After October 2023, all of these permits were revoked. Before October 2023, there were no settlers, settlements, or permanent Israeli forces within Gaza, although Israel still controlled the borders. After October 2023, the idea that Israel should not continue to control its borders is ridiculous. Malcolm Moncrief-SpittleDunedin [Abridged - editor.]
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
DCC lifts the lid on $15m plan for Edgar Centre roof
A new roof could be coming for Dunedin's leaky Edgar Centre complex at a cost of more than $15 million. Replacement of the roof was yesterday added to the Dunedin City Council's planned capital expenditure programme for the next nine years after sports bodies and users of the facility advocated for comprehensive action to be taken. They had warned of injury risks, reputational harm and the city continuing to miss out on hosting tournaments unless problems with leaks and condensation were fixed. Councillors have begun deliberations on the council's 2025-34 long-term plan, and they agreed yesterday they had to find the money for replacing the Edgar Centre roof. They included $360,000 in 2025-26 for detailed design, then $3m for the project in 2026-27 and $12m in 2027-28. The allocation is not quite final, but no councillor voted against it. The call was led by deputy mayor Cherry Lucas, who listed an array of sports that used the centre, as well as noting it was a venue for conferences, weddings, trade shows and Otago Polyfest. It was a mass-use facility but could be "treacherous" at times, she said. Fixing the centre was a priority spend for people who wanted rates rises kept in check, she said. Cr Lucas said there had also been significant public fundraising in the past, as well as financial support from the Edgar family. In 2023, the council decided to continue with a largely reactive approach to leaks. A report at the time said leaks and condensation created risks for facility users because the water could pool on the courts and cause players to slip. Condensation was particularly evident during winter. The complex was described as "dynamic", as the centre was on shifting and sinking ground beside Otago Harbour. The council faced strong calls this year to act. Edgar Centre manager Blair Crawford said in his long-term plan submission the estimated $15m cost was good value for money compared with building a new facility. The Edgar Centre submission was supported by numerous sporting organisations, including Sport Otago, Dunedin Netball, Basketball Otago, Volleyball Otago and Football South. Cr Steve Walker said sports facilities were vital for adults and particularly important for the health of children. Cr Lee Vandervis said the Edgar Centre was the "best-value facility we have". He did not support other parts of the council's proposed $1.9b, nine-year capital expenditure programme. Cr Jim O'Malley said fixing the problems there was part of building and maintaining a modern city. Cr Christine Garey noted the high level of councillor support and said she hoped to also see that when it came to discussing what should be done regarding venues for performing arts.
