A novel suggestion to address defence needs
For those that have largely given up on the strength of peace initiatives and seem to believe we need to throw more money at increasing the size of our armed forces and not be constrained by environmental values either.
For them, what about approaching the Donald, by putting forward a proposal his ego would struggle to resist.
Dunedin could be the first city ready to Trumpet the initiative to him by offering access to our airport, and shipping port, which he could develop to maybe advantage both parties and over time broaden his scope to include other centres around New Zealand.
Dunedin could add a couple of additional sweeteners to persuade Donald to build a sea wall to secure Dunedin's future threats from the rising ocean.
He could be gifted Chisholm Park Golf Course and assume the sole naming rights.
Furthermore, an irresistible offer of a statue of himself in pride of place in the Octagon replacing Robbie Burns.
No need for the Scots to fret, it could be done delicately so that Robbie could be returned later.
Surely, the attraction of a major presence based in the southern South Pacific for military purposes, along with the future possibilities once the ice melt exposes mineral deposits in Antarctica is surely a clincher for the likes of the US or another major player.
New Zealand would certainly have a more realistic defense capability, but do we really need it or the intrusions this would create?
The plane, the plane
Not long to go until the direct flights begin with Australia. The Gold Coast may not be the destination that some people wanted but we all need to be grateful that we got one destination.
We all know that Dunedin people are not the best at supporting events etc so let's all hope that we do support this service out of principle. Use it or lose it.
How sad would it be if the young man who campaigned saw the decline of the service because Dunedin and surrounds didn't support it. There are not many young people around like him so who else would campaign as hard as he did for all of us.
Maybe if we support the service well then the airlines will look at other destinations for us? Maybe we could get another airline doing a completely different route?
I vote for Fiji Airways and direct flights to the Pacific. Come on Otago let's do this.
Point unaddressed
In his letter (ODT 29.5.25) on his and his Future Dunedin Party’s heavy campaign advertising spending mayoral candidate Andrew Simms fails to address the essential point.
That is that until three months before the election all expenditure by candidates is not monitored by election officials and need not be declared. Monitoring does not start until July.
The normal price for the frequent one-page ads Mr Simms and his party have been running in this newspaper is around $8000.
Will Mr Simms and his party when they put in their election return include the amount they spent prior to the monitoring period?
[Andrew Simms replies: Mr Southworth should be reassured that Future Dunedin candidates will declare their total campaign expenditure which will be well below the allowed limit specified in the Local Government Act. Future Dunedin does not make the rules but we will certainly be complying with them in presenting our vision to the Dunedin community.]
Flooded lake out of kilter with energy reward
As a final word on the Lake Monowai issue, I assure Prof Mark (Letters ODT 23.5.25) that I was born and bred in Otago and familiar with the rivers and lakes of Otago and Southland.
The question as to whether the drowned shoreline is showing "obvious signs of recovery" can be easily answered.
The challenge goes out to a group of intrepid Otago canoeists to tour the Lake Monowai shoreline, taking pics along the way.
Then do the same for Lake Hauroko, which serves as an unflooded reference lake. A published article would be instructive.
The Monowai power station can operate without needing Lake Monowai to remain flooded. There would be reduced power output of less than 2MW.
The environmental price of the continued existence of a hydropower drowned lake within a national park is ridiculously out of kilter with the tiny energy reward.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: [email protected]
