No lawyer would be able to make the comments Peters did. The Standards Committee under section 130(c) has explicit statutory power \u201cto investigate of its own motion any act, omission, allegation, practice, or other matter that may indicate misconduct\u201d.<\/p>\n
I have had 54 years as a practising lawyer and have been involved in Law Society affairs during that time. As a citizen and a retired lawyer, I am appalled at his attack on a fellow member of Parliament. As Winston Churchill said, \u201cThe price of greatness is responsibility\u201d.<\/p>\n
Gary Gotlieb, Central Auckland.<\/p>\n
\u2018Cheap rhetoric\u2019<\/p>\n
Winston Peters is right to be proud of New Zealand\u2019s democracy, but pride doesn\u2019t excuse using it as a cudgel against a fellow MP born overseas. <\/p>\n
Telling someone to \u201cgo back where you\u2019ve come from\u201d isn\u2019t defending democracy, it\u2019s weaponising nationality to shut down debate. That\u2019s not a proud tradition; it\u2019s the opposite of the respectful discourse our system supposedly champions. <\/p>\n
If Peters wants to compare political systems, he might pause before pointing fingers. New Zealand\u2019s Westminster model closely mirrors the US and UK, both democracies currently struggling with deep polarisation, eroded trust, and foreign policy disasters that have cost countless lives. <\/p>\n
Democracy isn\u2019t a flawless virtue; it\u2019s a fragile work in progress. Gloating about it while dismissing a Chinese-born Kiwi who\u2019s been here since 1994 isn\u2019t statesmanship, it\u2019s cheap rhetoric. The real test of democracy isn\u2019t boasting about it. It\u2019s how we treat those who disagree with us, especially when they\u2019re from different backgrounds. On that measure, Peters fell short.<\/p>\n
James Gregory, Parnell.<\/p>\n
Science funding <\/p>\n
In 2021, the Royal Society of New Zealand kindly published a comparison of Rutherford\u2019s atomic model with current models of particle physics, one of which I had authored.<\/p>\n
Rutherford is still well known today as the father of nuclear physics, but the status of today\u2019s numerous models of particle physics remains murky. All assume the presence of unseen particles, and I for one am dubious of all of them as they currently stand.<\/p>\n
One can only test available models as deeply as possible. The CERN laboratory in Geneva has tested electromagnetic models that Nobelist J. Schwinger and I proposed to no avail. I subsequently proposed a search at higher energies and smaller distances.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, successful searches have been made for previously unseen planets near the centre of our galaxy. These results have buoyed our spirits. And negative searches for exotic \u201cdark matter\u201d have also been reported, which could be encouraging depending on which side of the fence you stand on. That\u2019s the way of science today.<\/p>\n
I hope that Science Minister Penny Simmonds\u2019 recent funding plan won\u2019t mean that fundamental research by New Zealand scientists, which has seen successful international collaborations, won\u2019t fall by the wayside.<\/p>\n
Phil Yock, \u014cr\u0101kei.<\/p>\n
Urgency on AI<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s coverage of AI<\/a> and young people raises an urgent question. Why are we waiting?<\/p>\n Suicide, self-harm, sexual exploitation and humiliation are no longer simply theoretical risks. Families are already facing consequences. We need an urgent global response before the next tragedy.<\/p>\n Marie Frost, Freemans Bay.<\/p>\n Data centre concerns<\/p>\n I read with some trepidation the proposed construction of an AI centre in Southland. This large data centre will use huge amounts of electricity and water. Why come to New Zealand? NZ is already close to using our current power generation in winter so to supply this new enterprise we would have to generate a lot more. <\/p>\n The taxpayers are already subsidising the smelter. These huge AI companies are in business to make a profit and their only motive for proposing this centre for NZ is that it is in their interests to do so.<\/p>\n Bob Upperton, Whang\u0101rei.<\/p>\n Sexual consent<\/p>\n