Letters, Jul 21
Money is money
THE director of the Downtown Community Ministry, Ms Stephanie McIntyre, has refused to accept grant money from the likes of Pub Charities, to help the homeless and disadvantaged. Ms McIntyre states that the monies offered are tainted as they are part-funded from forms of gambling, and therefore unacceptable. Very sanctimonious of her! The folk depending on help from the cash-strapped DCM would not entirely support such a moral based stand. I liken that approach with the comparison of an orphanage custodian refusing to take money to feed starving children, because the donation offered was from a prostitute, which if we apply to the above logic, must surely be scorned, if only to show the world how pure management really is. I invite DCM to join the real world and accept the donation offered in good faith.
Ron Blair, Te Aro.
The boat people
What a splendid column by Martin Doyle on the boat people published in Capital Times July 14. In particular, the last two sentences. I agree with everything he wrote, and wish it could be published in full in every New Zealand newspaper with perhaps an enlarged laminated copy sent to Prime Minister John Key. Would it be possible to publish it again for Capital Times readers who may have missed it?
Valerie Scott, Thorndon.
Readers are able to continue to read the column by visiting our website www.capitaltimes.co.nz and clicking on “columns” – Ed.
Tunnel Tooters
I’m with David Thomson. I hate those bastards who toot their way through the Mt Victoria tunnel. When we were little kids we used to make Dad do little toots in the Karori tunnel so we could hear the echo, but those tunnel long blasts you get in Mt Victoria are just blah.
Jamie Peters, Te Aro.
Film Festival gripes
Bill Gosden of the New Zealand Film Festival Trust throws a hissy fit (14 July) over a little bit of criticism. Sorry, Bill, but over recent years your selections have indeed become “a bit conservative and dull”. I am 70, so it is not just the younger audience you are pissing off. To be fair, this year is better than the last few years, particularly in your ‘classics’ selection, but there are still too many docos of worthy subjects made by boring or talentless people.
Ian Frater, Brooklyn.
The big screen
Who is in control of that big, ugly television screen at the end of Courtenay Place? It sits like a middle finger salute to the people of Wellington, and is a disgrace to the international cinema genius reputation we have build for ourselves inside the Embassy theatre upon which it is mounted. Is there ever anything worthwhile on this screen? Why am I still watching this corporate attempt at artistic strokes of paint across the screen? Would it be in the interest of Wellington to remove the screen and give it to the Compassion House, so they can have some entertainment? Because at the moment it’s an eyesore, that serves no one and makes our tackiest street even tackier. Why not make it a What’s On in Wellington screen? Why not something, anything besides those goddamn streaks of paint!
G. Russell, Karori.
Wind Sculptures
Since I’m on about wind scultures – what about Vector’s little turbine in Chaffers Park opposite New World. Because it’s so badly sited it hardly ever spins, and the average electricity it produces is a barely enough to power a torch.
Why not move it to the corner by the boat harbour where it would catch everything that’s going.
Andrew Jamieson, Mt Victoria.
Whare Waka
Cr Foster (letter, July 14) appears to have forgotten the original plans for Taranaki Wharf. In 1999 there were plans to move the Wellington Free Ambulance Building (now St Johns Bar) to a site adjacent to the Rowing Clubs, with plans for a high rise building in its place [but] Waterfront Watch and others opposed this plan as it would have meant the destruction of a heritage precinct at a considerable cost for the city (estimated at $1.5 million) and a prominent harbourside location would be replaced by a high rise building which had no maritime character.
[In] the Environment Court and in December 2001 the Judge stated that Waterfront Watch had “presented a compelling case in terms of heritage and urban design” against moving the Category 1 Historic Free Ambulance building from Cable Street on to Taranaki Wharf.
In 2002 it was revealed that the costs to the city of this misguided plan was close to $500,000. It was not until mid 2003 that plans were announced for a Whare Waka close to the lagoon, and finally in late 2005 council appointed commissioners gave approval for the construction of a 10-metre high Wharenui structure to be built on open space between the historic rowing sheds and the redeveloped Odlins building.
Finally in 2010, construction has commenced. Cr Foster is quoted as saying council originally budgeted $800,000 probably a decade ago. In what account has this money been sitting all this time, hopefully gathering interest to go towards the latest contribution?
Pauline Swann, Wadestown (abridged).
Pedestrian woes
[In regards to] the divine right of motorists at controlled intersections/pedestrian crossings, NZTA should review the light signalling. Many drivers turning into the path of the pedestrian crossing are under the impression a red [flashing] pedestrian figure means pedestrians are not meant to be crossing the road, and usually try to cut off people or liberally sound their horn in anger at those still legally completing their crossing. The worst offenders seem to be the impatient SUV drivers. Maybe a better signalling system would be an alternating flashing green and red pedestrian figure, to allow pedestrians to complete crossing the road in safety.
C Young, Wellington.
THE director of the Downtown Community Ministry, Ms Stephanie McIntyre, has refused to accept grant money from the likes of Pub Charities, to help the homeless and disadvantaged. Ms McIntyre states that the monies offered are tainted as they are part-funded from forms of gambling, and therefore unacceptable. Very sanctimonious of her! The folk depending on help from the cash-strapped DCM would not entirely support such a moral based stand. I liken that approach with the comparison of an orphanage custodian refusing to take money to feed starving children, because the donation offered was from a prostitute, which if we apply to the above logic, must surely be scorned, if only to show the world how pure management really is. I invite DCM to join the real world and accept the donation offered in good faith.
Ron Blair, Te Aro.
The boat people
What a splendid column by Martin Doyle on the boat people published in Capital Times July 14. In particular, the last two sentences. I agree with everything he wrote, and wish it could be published in full in every New Zealand newspaper with perhaps an enlarged laminated copy sent to Prime Minister John Key. Would it be possible to publish it again for Capital Times readers who may have missed it?
Valerie Scott, Thorndon.
Readers are able to continue to read the column by visiting our website www.capitaltimes.co.nz and clicking on “columns” – Ed.
Tunnel Tooters
I’m with David Thomson. I hate those bastards who toot their way through the Mt Victoria tunnel. When we were little kids we used to make Dad do little toots in the Karori tunnel so we could hear the echo, but those tunnel long blasts you get in Mt Victoria are just blah.
Jamie Peters, Te Aro.
Film Festival gripes
Bill Gosden of the New Zealand Film Festival Trust throws a hissy fit (14 July) over a little bit of criticism. Sorry, Bill, but over recent years your selections have indeed become “a bit conservative and dull”. I am 70, so it is not just the younger audience you are pissing off. To be fair, this year is better than the last few years, particularly in your ‘classics’ selection, but there are still too many docos of worthy subjects made by boring or talentless people.
Ian Frater, Brooklyn.
The big screen
Who is in control of that big, ugly television screen at the end of Courtenay Place? It sits like a middle finger salute to the people of Wellington, and is a disgrace to the international cinema genius reputation we have build for ourselves inside the Embassy theatre upon which it is mounted. Is there ever anything worthwhile on this screen? Why am I still watching this corporate attempt at artistic strokes of paint across the screen? Would it be in the interest of Wellington to remove the screen and give it to the Compassion House, so they can have some entertainment? Because at the moment it’s an eyesore, that serves no one and makes our tackiest street even tackier. Why not make it a What’s On in Wellington screen? Why not something, anything besides those goddamn streaks of paint!
G. Russell, Karori.
Wind Sculptures
Since I’m on about wind scultures – what about Vector’s little turbine in Chaffers Park opposite New World. Because it’s so badly sited it hardly ever spins, and the average electricity it produces is a barely enough to power a torch.
Why not move it to the corner by the boat harbour where it would catch everything that’s going.
Andrew Jamieson, Mt Victoria.
Whare Waka
Cr Foster (letter, July 14) appears to have forgotten the original plans for Taranaki Wharf. In 1999 there were plans to move the Wellington Free Ambulance Building (now St Johns Bar) to a site adjacent to the Rowing Clubs, with plans for a high rise building in its place [but] Waterfront Watch and others opposed this plan as it would have meant the destruction of a heritage precinct at a considerable cost for the city (estimated at $1.5 million) and a prominent harbourside location would be replaced by a high rise building which had no maritime character.
[In] the Environment Court and in December 2001 the Judge stated that Waterfront Watch had “presented a compelling case in terms of heritage and urban design” against moving the Category 1 Historic Free Ambulance building from Cable Street on to Taranaki Wharf.
In 2002 it was revealed that the costs to the city of this misguided plan was close to $500,000. It was not until mid 2003 that plans were announced for a Whare Waka close to the lagoon, and finally in late 2005 council appointed commissioners gave approval for the construction of a 10-metre high Wharenui structure to be built on open space between the historic rowing sheds and the redeveloped Odlins building.
Finally in 2010, construction has commenced. Cr Foster is quoted as saying council originally budgeted $800,000 probably a decade ago. In what account has this money been sitting all this time, hopefully gathering interest to go towards the latest contribution?
Pauline Swann, Wadestown (abridged).
Pedestrian woes
[In regards to] the divine right of motorists at controlled intersections/pedestrian crossings, NZTA should review the light signalling. Many drivers turning into the path of the pedestrian crossing are under the impression a red [flashing] pedestrian figure means pedestrians are not meant to be crossing the road, and usually try to cut off people or liberally sound their horn in anger at those still legally completing their crossing. The worst offenders seem to be the impatient SUV drivers. Maybe a better signalling system would be an alternating flashing green and red pedestrian figure, to allow pedestrians to complete crossing the road in safety.
C Young, Wellington.
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