John Robert Jones, Mairangi Bay.<\/p>\n
NZ can lead the way on climate<\/p>\n
Thomas Coughlan\u2019s article \u201cAge of expensive climate failure has finally arrived\u201d in the Weekend Herald (Jan 24) gives a depressing view of our failure to meet our emission targets as agreed in Paris 2015.<\/p>\n
It seems we are unable to reduce our domestic emissions and purchasing carbon credits offshore will cost billions that we just don\u2019t have.<\/p>\n
This seems a ridiculous position for New Zealand, with our abundance of clean energy, geothermal, hydro, as well as wind and solar. <\/p>\n
The death and destruction we have suffered over the last few days is unbelievably horrific, but it is how our future will unfold unless the world comes to its senses and stops burning fossil fuels.<\/p>\n
New Zealand can and should lead the way.<\/p>\n
Linda McGrogan, Taup\u014d.<\/p>\n
Words of gratitude<\/p>\n
To those who spent their nights or days combing through the mud of Mauao and P\u0101p\u0101moa, I say, with awe and deep respect, thank you. You are the best.<\/p>\n
Miriam Beatson, Devonport.<\/p>\n
Changing names<\/p>\n
I am writing to express concern about Auckland Transport\u2019s decision to rename major train stations, such as Britomart which is now being referred to as Waitemat\u0101, without what appears to be any meaningful public consultation.<\/p>\n
This is not about opposition to te reo M\u0101ori or to M\u0101ori place names. M\u0101ori language and heritage are an important and valued part of New Zealand\u2019s identity. However, decisions of this scale, particularly involving iconic and long-established public infrastructure, should involve the people who use and fund these services every day.<\/p>\n
Britomart has been part of Auckland\u2019s transport identity for generations. It is a name that locals and visitors recognise instantly. Changing such names without open consultation risks creating confusion, division, and a perception that decisions are being imposed rather than shared.<\/p>\n
Surely Auckland Transport should be bringing people together, not pushing through changes that many feel they had no voice in.<\/p>\n
David Alston, \u014crewa.<\/p>\n
Human price of war<\/p>\n
The Afghanistan War was one that should never have happened \u2013 in that respect, similar to the American wars in Vietnam and in Iraq.<\/p>\n
The war in Afghanistan followed the 9-11 tragedy in the US which Afghanistan had nothing to do with, apart from allowing al-Qaeda to use the country as its base.<\/p>\n
Total \u201callied\u201d deaths came to 3621 military personnel; two-thirds of those casualties were American and the other third were from allied nations, with the UK having the highest number among them at 457.<\/p>\n
Dead Afghans are estimated at between 176,000 and 241,000, more than 46,000 of them civilians. Appalling numbers.<\/p>\n
As far as that war is concerned, there is not much for anyone to be proud of other than President Biden\u2019s decision to end it. <\/p>\n
In the American war in Vietnam, some estimates put the total deaths in the populations of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia at above 3 million compared to 58,220 American deaths \u2013 or about one dead American for every 51 dead in the three attacked countries. <\/p>\n
In the American war in Iraq \u2013 built on false claims of weapons of mass destruction \u2013 around 4600 members of the American military were killed, while estimates for Iraqis killed, the vast majority of them civilians, range from 200,000 to over 500,000.<\/p>\n
All three wars were built on fallacies and misinformation. <\/p>\n
When anyone suggests we should be proud of these wars, it is good to remember the horrific numbers of casualties caused without good reason. <\/p>\n
In the case of such conflicts, New Zealand should contribute humanitarian, healing aid rather than stoking fire and power politics with military contributions.<\/p>\n
Frank Olsson, Freemans Bay.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s vileness<\/p>\n
If any doubt still existed about Donald Trump\u2019s unfitness to remain as President of the now inappropriately named \u201cUnited\u201d States, then his disgraceful veterans slur clinched it. <\/p>\n
Impeachment procedures must begin immediately as proof positive that American society is not complicit in his vileness.<\/p>\n
Larry N. Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"John Robert Jones, Mairangi Bay. NZ can lead the way on climate Thomas Coughlan\u2019s article \u201cAge of expensive…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":250462,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[95524,29895,6179,12811,60772,7568,29546,6187,9812,117,111,43,139,69,1118,2682,915,61,28066,1299,80],"class_list":["post-254429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-bravery","tag-campground","tag-died","tag-hero","tag-heros","tag-honour","tag-letters","tag-lives","tag-needs","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-of","tag-others","tag-saving","tag-to","tag-true","tag-who","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}