YourOpinion

Byebye bins

Am I right in reading in your paper that 90 of the public rubbish bins are to be removed from the Hibiscus Coast area? There is going to be a lot more litter blowing around if so! I know in some other countries, people have adjusted to less bins, and now take their rubbish with them to dispose of but my feeling is that it could be a decade before that catches on around here!

Stephanie Wilson, Ōrewa

Editor’s note: Yes, that is Auckland Council’s plan. The story was in our June 26 edition.

Centreway damage

I nodded in agreement with Sue Norwood’s letter (HM 10 July) concerning the condition of Centreway Road. Then I read, totally bemused, the response from Ms Foster (director of The Grove Ōrewa). There are over 25 potholes, poorly repaired, between Weiti Road and the lights at the Hibiscus Coast Highway corner – all in the construction zone. The rest of Centreway and the side roads off it are all in good condition, with no pothole damage. To talk about traffic management is simply avoiding the issue. Ms Foster believes it is unfair to lay the damage at The Grove’s door and “totally refutes” the allegation that Grove is responsible for the damage. How much more evidence does The Grove need, before they acknowledge that the extent of the problem is theirs alone – and then fix it properly for all in Ōrewa, including their own residents?

Mike England, Ōrewa

Who to blame?

Referring to the ‘Your Opinion’ contribution in the issue dated July 10, called ‘Centreway a Disgrace’ and response from The Grove development. The development is in a very difficult area and as such the traffic control measures are considered appropriate and do not appear to be in question. It is common knowledge that without heavy vehicles, roads will generally remain in good condition for many years. On Centreway Rd, the major deterioration has occurred between the signals at the Hibiscus Coast Highway intersection and the pedestrian crossing adjacent to Weiti Rd – the area servicing the very heavy loads necessary for construction of The Grove. The major part of Centreway Rd from Weiti Rd to Puriri Avenue shows little sign of similar damage. The manoeuvring of heavy vehicles and machinery in and out of the site has doubtlessly contributed to the damage, as has other recent development in the immediate area and the ongoing wet weather. I would be surprised if significant traffic is diverting from the Hibiscus Coast Highway to Centreway Rd to aviod speed restrictions, as suggested by The Grove, as the Centreway Rd traffic control also includes a 30kph restriction throughout most working hours. I personally have diverted from Centreway Rd to The Hibiscus Coast Highway to avoid the traffic control restrictions and the damage on Centreway Rd. The question of who is responsible for repairing the road damage may lie within the requirements of the Resource Consent for the development, in terms of maintaining adjacent infrastructure. A response from Auckland Transport would be of great interest.

Peter Evans, Ōrewa

Editor’s note: Thanks for your comments

Peter. I agree – Auckland Transport’s view would be very interesting. However, when we offered AT an opportunity to comment on this, they declined (as noted in July 10). We have again put the question and will publish any response.

Farmers not to blame

Recently my family and I had the pleasure of participating in the 160th celebrations in Puhoi, spending the night at Ōrewa Top Ten. We had a great weekend off the farm and enjoyed catching up with friends and family there. I also had the opportunity to read the Hibiscus Matters [June 26] paper and felt I had to reply to the flippant remark by the editor “it defies logic that 1kg of NZ cheese can cost $18 in a dairy producing country”. I can assure you and your readers that dairy farmers’ profits are minimal (average 3-5 percent ROI) and many years even run at a loss. This is due to farmers facing so many variables in our business from weather, exchange rates, pay-out, cost of feed, labour challenges, bureaucracy, rates, to name just a few. And that’s at the primary level – processors, transport and retailers all need to meet their operating costs too with that block of cheese. On top of this, when Fonterra was formed, our Government in all its wisdom required Fonterra to supply really cheap milk to other processors to facilitate more competition in the market for consumers’ benefit and to give farmers more options of who to supply their milk to. But guess what, the margins are so small in the local market, that these other (mostly foreign owned) companies send most of their products and profits offshore. How is that helpful to anyone in Aotearoa? If $18 meant farmers, processors and retailers were ‘creaming’ it, more companies would be in on the action, but they are not. We are all facing increased costs, living and business (our rates are going up 18.5 percent) and making tough decisions with purchases. Pointing fingers however doesn’t help.

Phil Winter, Waikato

Editor’s note: Thanks Phil. So pleased to see visitors taking the time to read Hibiscus Matters. I was definitely not blaming the high cost of cheese on dairy farmers, and in no way consider they are ‘creaming it’. My concern is a market system (as you describe in your letter) that makes it possible for NZ-produced products to be purchased cheaper overseas than at home. That issue wasn’t the focus of my Opinion piece – but it certainly wasn’t a ‘flippant’ comment either, as anyone who has faced those prices at the store will appreciate.

All not lost for ferry

With the news that Auckland Transport intends to withdraw the Gulf Harbour ferry to Downtown when Penlink it finished, do not fret as this could be a long time to come if the proposed opening date goes the same as other roading projects. However, should we all be amazed, and it does open on schedule, all could not be lost as it’s more than likely another ferry operator will fill the gap, one who knows the basics of running a ferry service, one we certainly do not have at present.

Robert (Bob) Bicker, Gulf Harbour

Ferry battle

Us locals have been battling on and off for years to keep the Gulf Harbour ferry service intact. We also had to battle to keep the Hammerhead from becoming apartment blocks. A red flag popped up when I heard about the potential for the withdrawal of the ferry service. You can bet your bottom dollar if the ferry goes, the Hammerhead potential developers will be at it again. I see the Hammerhead is in Council ownership, so I guess it will be available to be sold off, like everything else seems to be. There is mention of the ferry service ceasing when Penlink opens. Yep, let’s get some more traffic on the motorway!

Garry Leslie, Tindalls Bay

In the wilderness

Do Coasties from Silverdale, Whangaparāoa, Ōrewa and indeed the entire Northshore realise how hopeless it is getting to and from the airport? Should you be unable to twist a friend’s arm to drive you, causing environmental impact, then options are woeful. Private shuttles one way are between $130 to $160. Super shuttle $133. AT public buses require three buses and one train, taking two hours. Skybus has closed down. Richies offer an $18 service from the Sky Tower, meaning a bus to Hibiscus Station. Then another bus from Albany station to the city followed by walk and connection at Sky Tower. A lousy option in all our rainy weather. Try getting advice by calling all transport operators in the “super” city and responses are little more than a shrug. Visitors to our city must think they are arriving in deepest darkest Africa if heading north of the harbour bridge. No one appears to be developing solutions. Super city indeed!

Alan Addison, Ōrewa

Relevant reading

I was very happy to read here that Ōrewa College student Eva Miseriaux aspires to become a writer (HM June 26). When offering to donate books to the college library I do so hoping that they might encourage one such student. The dismal government figures for high school literacy are a national average and are skewed by schools in the poorer socio-economic areas. The Ōrewa College principal acknowledged that the number of students borrowing books for the joy of reading has declined over time. The best motivator for learning is always interest, so it is essential that libraries contain diverse material and I encourage other readers to donate books to the college. Eva makes the point that modern books are more relevant to the times, and I sympathise with this – I prefer 20th century American writers myself but am currently reading Oliver Twist Dickens is demanding, but rewarding, and had a significant influence on Victorian attitudes to inequality and social justice. An aspiring writer can benefit from classics (as opposed to ‘the Classics’) in several ways: they have stood the test of time precisely because they are well written; they serve to illustrate changing (and unchanging) values and attitudes through history; they illustrate the evolution of writing styles in what is an art form. A budding writer would also benefit from reading biographies of great writers to understand what sacrifices are required and what strategies increase the likelihood of success. The most important thing is to stay focused on the goal, and work like crazy.

Andrew Westaway, Ōrewa (abridged)