229 days ago

DANGEROUS, DISASTROUS & TERRIFYING

Michael from Trentham

Wellington Mayor, Tory Whanau says a National-ACT -NZ First coalition government would be "dangerous, disastrous" and that she would be "terrified" of this happening.
So it is a given that a National-ACT Gov will emerge in two weeks and the possibility of NZ First getting in on the act is fairly high.

I too feel that Whanau, a left wing Green Party advocate, is right in one particular way. National and ACT are committing to taking millions of funding dollars away from the civil services and divesting them of thousands of jobs. This would affect not only Wellington but the local region as a whole. Government and quasi Government departments and organisations is the backbone of the Wellington region and its economic health and well being.

National have done it before more than once and it has taken a Labour Government each time to revitalise departments like Conservation to allow the likes of them to get to a point of achieving what is being attempted.

This time round, the National Party has also gotten into a bind - promising too much in tax cuts with one of the only ways to meet the tax cut costs is by shedding millions from the civil services.

There is a hope that should NZ First get a share of the Government benches, they can trim National-ACT plans in respect to our civil services otherwise Whanau will be right. I suspect Whanau has other reasons also for her rather unstateswoman pronouncement as Mayor of a leading city of what seems certain to occur.

More messages from your neighbours
7 days ago

Poll: Have you ever been bullied?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

People associate bullying with children in schools, but it can actually stretch beyond childhood to workplaces or neighbourhoods.

This Friday is Pink Shirt Day, which began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying after a new student was harassed for wearing pink. People across the globe are now encouraged to wear pink on this day to take a stand against bullying and promote inclusivity.

Have you or your whānau ever experienced bullying? Share your thoughts on Pink Shirt Day below.

Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.

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Have you ever been bullied?
  • 79.8% Yes
    79.8% Complete
  • 19.8% No
    19.8% Complete
  • 0.4% Other - I'll share below
    0.4% Complete
1735 votes
4 days ago

WHEN LETTERS TO EDITOR ARE WORTH LESS

Michael from Trentham

This week's Upper Hutt Leader has just two letters to the editor published.
They caught my eye because of the subject matter and of their inaccuracies. The fact is they will unlikely to be corrected in any follow-up.
The first was on a water burst. Ok, the writer says a month has gone by and no fix. I recently brought to the public's attention a water leak in Upper Hutt in a major street that took almost 4 months to fix..

But the letter writer blamed the Upper Hutt City Council. Alright, the Council can take some blame because of complicity but of course Wellington Water are responsible once the matter has been brought to their attention.

The next letter was about the spelling of the Lower Hutt suburb of Petone. Change is afoot to spell it Pito-one. But the writer goes on about Maori language spelling and how it was a European missionary or two who created a Maori "dictionary" because the Maori did not have a written language.

Of course this letter writer has the wrong end of the stick because Petone and Pito-one are pronounced differently with different emphasis. And as an aside one has no meaning and the other has every meaning. Nothing much to do with any spelling.

2 days ago

For Sale: Location Location Location. Open Home Sun 12.30-1.30

Leanne from Pinehaven

35 Fendalton Crescent! Situated on the lower slopes of Pinehaven this Vendor is priced to sell! Four bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 3 living rooms! BEO$847,000! A short walk to all Silverstream's many amenities as well as the bus at the corner of the street to the Train station! Great for a family or professionals working from home! Great entertainers home and kitchen for the gourmet chef! Be quick or let this great home with a great price go to someone else!