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New Website Coming Soon!

Our family would love to look after you during your stay in Nelson.

Hosts: Fraser and Kelly Weir

Freephone: 0800 745 755

Email: stay@admiralsmotorinn.co.nz www.admiralsmotorinn.co.nz

Talking Cafés are about enjoying relaxed conversation with other locals over a free cuppa! They don't have a formal programme or speakers All are welcome to come along, these will be held at The Wholemeal Café on a Wednesday afternoon at the dates and times listed below - we hope to see you there!

Councillors hamstrung by legislation?

The Local Government Act is being reformed this year. One of the statements regarding this reform was to elect representatives "who think like their communities".

In his recent letter (GBW, 14/04) Gary Thorpe posed the question to councillors Hill and Butler: "Councillors, how about telling us why you seem more interested in representing the council, than representing the people who voted for you?"

This is a common statement currently in the conversation among Golden Bay residents.

May I point out that this is because, on being elected to office, they have to make a declaration that they will comply with the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act. This Act actually prevents them carrying out the manifesto promises stated in their pre-election profiles.

It hinders them "thinking like their community of Golden Bay" and forces them to represent the requests and power of the "collective council". This sadly nullifies their desire to represent us who voted for them.

How say you councillors?

Cows or pine trees?

Reg Turner

To the instigators of the Water Conservation Order against the farmers of the Tākaka valley – is this a severe case of lactose intolerance or what?

You are leaving these good farmers with very few options of what to do with their productive land let alone the wider impact to the Golden Bay community.

The outstanding natural feature which is the Tākaka valley could potentially end up covered in pine trees.

It’s a case of no fertiliser to SOW MAN

Pine trees for the flats for the HILLS HARWOODS growing softwoods and we won’t see the WOODSIES for the trees.

The 25km drive down the valley for the tourist will be looking at wall-to-wall pine trees and in the distant future –25km of stumps.

You have to ask yourself who is damaging what here?

I will in no doubt be labelled misinformed or ignorant but I have a fair idea of what is right and wrong and this is wrong in my opinion.

Keep on farming I say.

Medical science priorities

Tony Cottle

Aaron Marshall's letter (GBW, 5/5) talks of science being settled. I always thought science is where something is observed and a theory is put forward as to what is taking place. That theory is held as the science until somebody else comes along and disproves it with a better understanding.

Therefore science is ever evolving. I welcome Aaron's definition of science.

In this present age of materialism the public would then hope that the medical scientist priority would be first, to find effective cures and secondly, profitability for their drug company employers.

The following is an example to contemplate.

Most heart disease is caused by the build up of plaque in the heart and arteries. It would be very easy to develop a drug to dissolve the plaque and reverse the condition. There are natural medicines which do just that and I have been involved with them for many years. However, the drug companies have never developed such a drug or talked about what causes the plaque to build up in the first place. Their method is to thin the blood with very acidic drugs so that it can get through the blocked arteries… thus relieving the symptom but not addressing the cause.

It begs the question, “What are the medical scientists' priorities?”

It is a sad day that doctors are no longer allowed to follow what procedures which they have found to work the best.

Brian Dodds

Disheartening division

It's disheartening to see how divided and divisive our country has become.

Irrespective of whether the response was proportional, one's own beliefs, or if the experts, modellers and media are right or not, there are resources available for people to come to their own conclusions, and to make their own decisions.

Stats NZ has a Covid-19 data portal where you can see some of the impact on our health, economy, etc. There are sub categories for age, ethnicity and vaccination status.

An invaluable source in respect to age-stratified infection fatality rates is Dr John Ioannidis.

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."

Shaun Robinson

Grateful for gravel

I would like to publicly thank the boss at Fulton Hogan who sent two staff, and a large truck of gravel (to shovel by hand, in the inclement rainy weather) to fill in the large number of potholes on Mackay Pass Road on Thursday 4 May. Normally the residents have to wait for the grader to do this job.

Reg Turner

Letters To The Editor

The GB Weekly welcomes letters to the editor. Please email your letter to us at admin@gbweekly.co.nz by 12pm Tuesday. Include the writer’s full name, home address and daytime phone number. Letters will be printed over the name of the writer; names are withheld only when compelling reasons can be established. Letters must not exceed 250 words. Letters that are too long will not be considered. All correspondence is at the discretion of the manager, who reserves the right to decline, edit, or abridge letters without explanation or further discussion. Links to third party websites will not be published. The views expressed are those of the correspondents and are not necessarily endorsed or shared by The GB Weekly.

Contact Us

GB WEEKLY: Stitch ‘n Sew, Tākaka is our agent or you can email us: admin@gbweekly.co.nz (preferred). Office hours are Monday-Wednesday, 9am-5pm. Ph 027 525 8679. See our website www.gbweekly.co.nz to read current and past issues of the paper or to find our pricelist for advertising plus details of how to advertise.

Correction

OUR article Golden Bay in Anzac Day remembrance (GBW, 28/4) contained errors in the report of Emily Hohepa’s address. We stated that, “Emily began by citing a Māori proverb. ‘Kia Whakatōmuri te haere whakamua...I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past’.” This quote was made by GBHS teacher Jan Stark and incorrectly attributed to Emily who opened her speech by saying, “Ma mua ka kite a muri Ma muri ka ora a mua. Those who lead give sight to those who follow Those who follow give life to those who lead”. Emily referred to four of her ancestors who fought with a revered Māori batallion, not one as reported. The quote, “I am proud of my whakakpapa...it enables me to understand where I come from and where I stand,” was also incorrect and should read: “I'm immensely proud of my Tupuna. Whakapapa enables me to understand who I am, where I come from, and tells me I have a place to stand.” Jo Richards was the reporter responsible for the errors, and we apologise for any upset caused.

Free to use rainwater?

With all of this supposed deep consultation, it is concerning that TDC has not been able to give us assurance that future regulations will not prevent us from saving and using our rainwater. Nelson City Council has encouraged rainwater capture, providing examples of five benefits that are so selfevident that I will not waste any of my 250 words listing the obvious. Why does TDC not do the same? Why not encourage landowners to share responsibility in times of water shortages?

The expensive plans for restructuring water issues has the same bad smell about it that the Lee Valley dam had.

It is difficult to trust a body of elected representatives who totally ignored the huge majority of Golden Bay ratepayers that strongly (over 85 per cent of the submissions) rejected TDC's plan to stick us with part of ever-growing Lee Valley dam bill. Since water is vital for all living things, we need to be smart about any regulations that may one day bite us in the bum.

Victoria Davis