Water issues
Regional Councillor Chris Laidlaw’s letter, setting out Wellington Regional Council’s position on universal metering and dams, illustrates the Regional Council’s poor understanding of the issues. Despite clear evidence from Wellington’s water usage patterns that metering will result in virtually no reduction in domestic water usage they continue to promote meters. And why is Laidlaw silent on the question of fixing the leaks? Cities in the region rate poorly in terms of leakage percentages and addressing the leaks produces real reductions in water consumption. Yet the Regional Council promotes spending $70 million on universal metering based on the myth that Wellingtonians waste water.  And then there is the fact that any decision to introduce universal metering in Wellington City rests solely with the Wellington City Council and not the Regional Council. If the Regional Council really wants to do something for water conservation perhaps they could start by getting on with the job of developing a region wide water strategy. Eighteen months ago Regional Council Chair Fran Wilde promised it. Since then the Regional Council and the Wellington City Council have failed to work together on the issue and now the Regional Council say the plan is “not mission critical”.  
This jockeying for power and control between Wellington City and the Wellington Regional Council over water and other issues really needs to stop and be replaced by more constructive engagement between them.
Frank Cook, Mt Cook

Political grandstanding
One of the more annoying trends of recent years has been the increasing failure of politicians to understand that, first and foremost, they are public servants. They are paid, generally rather well, to think through issues, listen to public views and seek solutions that best suit the public interest. Politicians are not paid to grandstand, abuse their opponents and indulge in beat-ups. It’s therefore a shame to read, in your letters column, Chris Laidlaw of the Greater Wellington Regional Council labelling arguments against water meters “hysteria”. If Mr Laidlaw is unwilling to field his constituents’ views on this matter in a constructive and professional way he should find a new job. There are plenty of positions for those who enjoy engaging in hyperbole and denigrating the views of those they disagree with, such as becoming a radio talkback host or the Mayor of Whanganui.
Sam Buchanan, Paekakariki

Global warming
Jim Salinger believes that a build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide generated from humans burning fossil fuels will lead to an increase in global temperature. However I believe that the observed rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide may not be a cause of global warming but rather a consequence of it. This warming will have a natural cause. The sea is very, very large and contains an immense reservoir of dissolved carbon dioxide. If the sea heats up some of this carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere and this could well be what is being observed at present. I believe the emitted gas from the sea could eclipse in amount anything generated from human activity. Global temperature has always been subject to change. In historic times Greenland was so warm that for hundreds of years Viking settlers were able to run cattle and grow fruit trees. Ups and downs in the earth’s temperature are quite normal and have occurred all through history.
David R Currie (Retired carbon dating scientist with the former Department of Scientific and Industrial Research), Petone
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Make the drunks pay
I support Sir Christopher Harris.  His suggestion that drunken patients who clog up the emergency department at Wellington Hospital should pay for their treatment is interesting. I feel he’s got a point.  The drunken injured are very often at least partly responsible for their injuries.  And if it would help unclog the emergency department I’d be all for having those certifiably drunk people contribute to their medical costs.
Andrew Jamieson
Mt Victoria

Electric cars
So the WCC and Ray Ahipene-Mercer are considering paying lip service to climate change by installing charging stations for electric cars – a new and untried technology with many shortcomings which will not be overcome until major technological improvements occur in the efficiency and life cycle of storage batteries. They would do far better to “hit the green button” with the current highly inefficient public transport system. Steel wheels running on steel rails represent the most efficient use of energy for transport (see strickland.ca/efficiency.html). The urgent introduction of an extended light rail spine through to the airport, serviced by electric tram-trains operating from the airport directly through to Kapiti, Lower Hutt and Johnsonville (without that annoying forced interchange at the railway station) would do far more to avert climate change and to “green up” the capital.
Demetrius Christoforou, Mount Victoria
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Cobblestone Park
The local businessman quoted in your article about Cobblestone Park should not be surprised that $1 million of ratepayer money is being used to “upgrade” public space over the protestations of official submitters. The central spine walkway will lead straight to the lobby of Rex Nichols’ hotel. That Kaiser Kerri Prendergast does not remove herself from the process of allocating funds where there is such a clear conflict of interest is a travesty. When the King of Tonga acts thus he is pilloried and accused of running a banana republic; in Wellington it’s business as usual.
T C Lynch, Berhampore