Letters 24 February 2012
Road Courtesy on Ligar Bay Hill
To promote road courtesy, could Seargent Haewera please clarify whether this is one of the rules of the road:
Where a road is temporarily reduced to one lane as on Ligar Bay hill, upcoming traffic have the right of way.
Perhaps a “give way” sign could be installed on Ligar Bay hill, to make this clear.
Moira Tilling
Reply from Takaka Police: The vehicle in the lane that is obstructed gives way.
We find this answer in the Land Transport (Road Users) Rules 2004, section 2.3 (3).
However, a driver may drive wholly or partly in a lane that is unavailable to the driver under subclause (1) or clause 4.6(2) to (4) if— (a) it is impracticable to proceed otherwise because of— i) the size of the driver’s vehicle; or (ii) the size of the load on the driver’s vehicle; or (iii) a road obstruction; and (b) driving in that lane can be done safely and without impeding other traffic.
Pohara-Takaka Cycleway
I am writing to give a voice to Golden Bay wilderness, biodiversity and habitat preservation.
So many of our decisions today are humacentric, especially when there are acceptable alternatives. As we’ve found out in many instances in the last few years, the ecology and environment of Golden Bay are very fragile and need our protection far more than our exploitation. Planetary issues, not local ones, prevail and Golden Bay, with its many eternal sea, sea-level and mountain life zones, is more beautiful and delicately balanced than any other place on this tiny planet earth. It is why I have chosen to be, and have been privileged to come here as, a visitor from across the planet in the US for the last decade.
If building machinery and materials are allowed to invade the wetlands of this proposed track here in Golden Bay and affect its ecological balance irrevocably, at all and for any reason, it will be a great loss to all the wetland areas of the planet that have been declared off limits in other countries as they are the source of the whole “cyle of life”, far more important than any cycle way for a privileged few old and young humans who happen to be fortunate enough to have been born here or to visit.
It is my sincere hope that our species will stop being so unnecessarily rapacious and warlike towards such a special environment that has supported us and given humans a fine life these many years.
Janet Verrill
Protecting Tasman from bovine Tb
There is no disputing the need to eradicate Tb from our deer and cattle herds. Overseas experience has shown that movement control and good herd management are the most important strategies for eliminating Bovine Tb, usually spread by cattle infecting cattle. Animals in the wild may, however, be potential vectors of Tb into our cattle herds. How can we best prevent infection from them?
The present strategy is the repeated mass slaughter of animals in forest within several miles of farmland by aerial drops of 1080 poisoned baits, which is banned or severely restricted in other countries, carries a risk to human health and is highly controversial. Very little of the money spent on the operation provides employment for people in the Bay, because outside contractors do the work. Is there a better alternative?
At the Animal Health Board (AHB) public information days, we should be asking:
1. What is the extent of Tb infection in the wild animal population in the area being targeted? When was the research carried out and was it independently verified?
2. What evidence has the AHB to show that dropping 1080 over large areas of conservation land far away from our livestock is more effective at managing the secondary risk of Tb compared to a thorough ground-based pest control regime along a wide strip of bush and forest adjacent to farm land?
This approach would provide long-term employment for locals as well as the opportunity to harvest possum fur without the need for aerial drops of poisoned bait.
David Benson
Targeted rates
Regretfully I find somewhat ambiguous reporting about the board’s reaction to targeted rates (GBW 17/2).
I read: “The issue … drew a strong reaction from board members, who expressed their extreme disappointment and intention to submit against TDC’s intention now to change the $100 targeted tourism rate to one of $20 across all rateable properties.
Now while I can understand the board’s lashing out against community board targeted rates, it is not clear whether the board was extremely disappointed that, instead of a few now paying the targeted tourism rate, the whole community, which has been benefitting from tourism, will now take its ‘fair’ share of support for tourism.
What exactly did the board decide to do? I write as one who has been paying this targeted tourism rates. Before considering an approach to the board, I seek clarification from you as to the precise meaning of these phrases.
John Lee
Ed: The board remains opposed to the targeted rate for communities with community boards and in fact pointed out that if it were spread across the whole district it would result in only a $5 increase to everybody’s rates. Our reporter may have mistakenly ascribed this implacable opposition to the targeted rate for tourism. An extract from the minutes of the meeting states: “The board agreed that a tourism rate across the whole district is the fairest way, as there are benefits for the whole community.”
Ageing in Place in Golden Bay
The proportion of older people in Golden Bay is increasing at a relatively rapid rate, presenting the community with a number of challenges in the near future. Up till now there has been a lack of knowledge about what these challenges may be, and how to plan for them. This lack of knowledge motivated the Golden Bay Workcentre Trust to initiate and secure funding from Lottery Community Sector Research Fund for the research project Ageing in Place in Golden Bay.
The research is now completed and the research report is available from the Golden Bay Workcentre Trust website: <www.gbwct.org.nz>. It is also available on CD from the Workcentre, POBox 156, Takaka.
Summarising the findings from the research in a short letter like this would not do it justice. Instead the research will be presented at community meetings in Collingwood and Takaka. All welcome.
Collingwood Fire Station rooms Monday 27 February from 5.30pm to 6.30pm.
Takaka at the Community Centre in Commercial Street Tuesday 28 February from 5.30pm to 6.30pm.
Golden Bay Workcentre Trust
Peter Hall’s illustrated talk
Peter Hall, sailor extraordinaire, is giving an illustrated talk at the Mussel Inn on Tuesday 3 April at 8pm. It will feature the highlights of his four-year circumnavigation of the world in his 50-foot yacht Afar. Tickets $5 at the Monza Gallery in Takaka, to benefit the Golden Bay Cycle and Walkways Society Inc.
Robby Robilliard
World Day of Prayer
World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement for informed prayer and prayerful action. For over 80 years services have been held around the world on the first Friday of March. Overall it is administered by an international committee in New York; in New Zealand a national committee is based in Christchurch. Check it out at <www.worlddayofprayer.co.nz>
Each year the celebration comes from a different country: the theme is chosen and the service prepared by the women of the national World Day of Prayer committee. This year’s service comes from Malaysia and has the theme, “Let justice prevail.”
In New Zealand there will be around 250 services organised by local interdenominational groups. All are welcome to attend our local service in the Church of Christ at 2pm on Friday 2 March.
Dot Scott
Golden Bay group discover God Particle
A friend mentioned that while attending the Luminate Festival workshop on the Unified Field (presented by Nassim Haramein’s representative Jamie Janover), Jamie concluded the ‘God Particle’ has yet to be discovered.
Yet there are a bunch of us here in Golden Bay who have not only modeled this particle and can provide scientific proof, we have also published articles revealing clearly the transformation from Matter to Light to Thought to Love/Compassion, this links the physics of Haramein with the love-as-creation (creation-as-love) based metaphysics of religions. Thereby linking all these seemingly unconnected ‘realms’, with only one mathematical formula, the Golden Phi Ratio.
After all for a Field Theory to be unified it needs to be able to combine a uni-phi-ing maths (including making volumetric cell like models) with the emotions of love (the creative principle) as well as with communicative language (giving the ability to correctly express a unified theory), and observable phenomena.
All this we have detailed with great exactitude as anyone willing to explore this blog will discover,
http://fractalrhombicstructures.blogspot.co.nz.
Grayham Forscutt
Correction
The phone number that was supplied to The GB Weekly for last week’s article Leap of faith with Trinfinity8 was incorrect. It should have read 525 8558.
