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Published date06 May 2021
Bruce Bell offers a too simplistic analogy by comparing and expecting sea level rise at any particular place to be as uniform as pouring a cup of water into a bowl of water.

A more science-educated person will understand why this argument cannot be held applicable. Sea level rise does vary at different locations according to changes to ocean currents and sea temperatures. Only by taking the global average can one arrive at a true figure.

Ray Paterson

Kaimaumau

Nail it

It’s a pity some idiots are still venting their spleens on the new speed limit signs. It’s also a pity our council is too namby-pamby to use the ancient reliable defence of sprinkling a few caltrops either side of each sign.

Peter Kerr

Ōkaihau

Editor: A caltrop is an ‘area denial weapon’ made up of two or more sharp nails or spines arranged in such a manner that one of them always points upwards from a stable base. Historically they were used to slow the advance of troops, especially horses, chariots and war elephants, and were particularly effective against the soft feet of camels. In modern times they are effective when used against wheeled vehicles with pneumatic tyres.

Full gallop

The Government has let the public service get completely out of control before attempting to rein it in.

Since Labour took office the public service has increased by 10,000 people. The average growth per year under Labour is 6 per cent. It was 1 per cent when Act had a confidence and supply agreement with Government.

The number of bureaucrats earning more than $100,000 has grown by 43 per cent, from 10,519 in 2018 to 15,055 now. And it’s not like we’re getting value for money. Delivery from Government has been so poor it’s had to start an ‘implementation unit’ because it’s been failing to deliver.

It’s all well and good to virtue signal now about pausing pay increases, but 10,000 bureaucrats and one implementation unit later, the horse has already bolted. What we need now is an assurance from Labour that it won’t hire expensive consultants to avoid a head count of fulltime staff. It’s understood some recruiters in Wellington have said they have “more government contracts than they know what to do with.”

David Seymour

Leader, Act

Foreign affrays

So now we have a Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, who has chosen to portray New Zealand internationally as a mythical beast from an ancient culture. Wow! How long before the US uses Donald Duck?

Bryan Johnson

Omokoroa

Hot potato

An extremely knowledgeable and pleasant senior inspector of schools, back in the days before the PC ERO and Tomorrow’s Schools, asked me what my hot potato was. He meant teaching subject strength. I replied, ‘People.’

‘Go on my boy, explain,’ he requested. It was 64 years ago, and he was right in calling me a boy. ‘Poets, musicians, inventors, great thinkers and humanitarians and the like,’ says I.

He asked about maths spelling and reading skills, and together we discussed how these skills fitted into the picture, plus the importance of pupils being trained for listening and to verbally express their thoughts. I was told not to forget local parents who had talents, expertise and historical knowledge.

Long after school finished and the playground was deserted we talked on, with some kutai fritters and a glass of wine, in the school house. I was told my pupils were achieving very well, and I had good parent-teacher relations. The whole school was going well, and he had enjoyed his day, but that no doubt in the future I could find the Department of Education, as it was called back...

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