The Star: June 09, 2016

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14 Thursday June 9 2016 follow us on facebook.com/riseupchristchurch The Star Viewpoint EDITORIAL Will anti-smoking measures be effective? SMOKING IN New Zealand today is only a fraction of what it used to be. Its outright prohibition in enclosed public places, restrictions on its advertising, promotion and display at the point of sale, and punitive taxation, have probably all contributed to its decline. It is nearly 30 years since governments began to take these steps and by any measure they have been effective. At last count, only 15 per cent of the population over 15, or just over half a million people, still smoked daily. Many might have imagined the figure was even lower; it is common in some social circles these days to find nobody smokes anymore. But that is the remaining problem, smoking is now heavily concentrated in certain ages and ethnic groups. Among young men aged 18-34, more than 25 per cent smoke. Young women have a lower rate but it is still relatively high at 20 per cent. The Maori rate is 38 per cent and among Maori women it is higher, nearly 42 per cent. Those of Pacific Island descent have a rate just under 25 per cent. The Maori and Pacific populations are younger than the population generally, which helps account for the high smoking rate among younger people overall. No wonder, then, that the Maori Party is the most assiduous anti-smoking legislator in Parliament. In the Budget, Finance Minister Bill English attributed another round of programmed tobacco tax hikes to the Maori Party. Yesterday, the party was mainly responsible for the draft “plain pack” cigarette regulations announced by Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga. The Maori Party has been pressing for the graphic pictorial warnings in place of brand design on cigarette packets for years. It was probably hoping for a decision more definite than draft regulations and a consultation document but it can count those as progress. It will be much more satisfied with the tax increases that will raise the cost of a packet by more than $2 a year. Within four years it will be costing a worker on the average wage a full hour’s work to afford his or her packet a day. And since those smokers are disproportionately young and Maori, it is not hard to understand the concern of those who say the tax hikes will hit hardest those households that can least afford them. “Racist” was the term used by one critic though it cannot apply when the policy has been initiated and sustained by Maori MPs. They believe it will be effective, making their people better off in the long run. But will it be effective? The question that should be asked of all further anti-smoking measures is, why are some people still smoking in spite of everything that has been done to discourage them? They have proved impervious to rapid price increases every year for five years now. Why should the next four annual increases make any difference to them? And what evidence is there that more graphic health warnings will be any more effective than those cigarette packets have carried for many years? Anti-smoking campaigns can sound more like vengeance on tobacco companies than practical remedies for addiction. Some people might never quit. •Tell us your view. Email editor@starmedia.kiwi Beautiful Teeth Meet the Owner Ryan Carlton Natural Smile Free Consultation, No Obligation • Full Dentures • Dentures Repaired • Implant Assisted Dentures • Injection Moulded Unbreakable Partials • Relines • Mouthguards • Additions/Repairs • Anti-Snore Devices All dentures personally designed and created to ensure a comfortable natural fit. DENTURES PLUS (2014) LTD Denture Clinic and Laboratory 396 Innes Road, St Albans. Phone 385 5517. Email: denturesplus@paradise.net.nz www.denturesplus.co.nz The Star asked its readers what changes they would like made to the St Andrews Hill and Bridle Path Rds intersection, Ferrymead, after a report criticised its layout A. Edwards – This corner is a disaster and it is only a matter of time before there is a really serious accident and/or fatality. THis intersection design can only have been completed by people who sit in a room without windows and never go outside. Yes, lights at the foot of St Andrews Hill Rd would assist. But as well they need to lose the triangular island shown at the right of your photo. If it is actually necessary to have traffic lights there they Young people are our future – LIVING in New Zealand, we have so much going for us. A stable country, a beautiful environment, smart and talented people. But one thing that counts against us is the big number of our young people who are not in employment, education or training – the so-called NEETS. We now have 87,200 young Kiwis between the ages of 15 and 24 categorised as NEETs. That’s 23,100 more than when National took office. In Christchurch, we have 6100 of these young people sitting on the scrap heap. I see Orbiter Bus stops Innes Road should be suspended from overhead cables. The traffic light poles on this island are a hazard in themselves. Removing the island would allow another lane to be formed for the traffic flowing along Bridle Path Rd ie: travelling towards the estuary. So that would provide two left turning lanes for both traffic flows ie: Bridle Path and St Andrews Hill Rds, which should allow each phase to clear without backing up. Kathy Kerr – I live in Sumner and work in Lyttelton. On several occasions I have been cut off by drivers coming down fast off St Andrews Hill Rd and failing to give way at the sign. I have been turning left into Bridle Path Rd on a green light at the time. that number and I think to myself “what an incredible waste”. Our young people are incredible talented and impressive. They’re creative and innovative and the ones I meet are keen for work, they’re keen to learn. They just need an opportunity. With so much work still needing to be done in the Canterbury Megan Woods At the very least, I would like to see a stop sign on St Andrews Hill Rd instead of the give way sign which is there at the moment. Lights would be better. Sandy Cassels, of Lyttelton – Could there not be three lanes, one for Heathcote traffic turning left into Ferry Rd, two for hill traffic turning left into Ferry Rd and three for those turning right to Sumner? Move the island in the middle a little to create more space. Cyclists might need to use the footpath for turning left and the road for turning right. If lights are installed, they would need to have a longer green phase so everyone can get a go at moving on and not creating a backlog of traffic. rebuild, how is it we still have thousands of young people sitting idle? Especially when I talk to employers all the time who are struggling to find staff with the right skills. That’s why I’ve always been such a passionate advocate of Labour’s dole for apprenticeships policy.
The Star follow us on facebook.com/riseupchristchurch Thursday June 9 2016 15 If you have a viewpoint on an issue and want to submit it to The Star, email editor@starmedia.kiwi in 300 words or less Readers respond to our article on assault victims Michelle Coker and her daughter Georgia Fergusson; and a new smoking law Peter Banens, of Addington – The inner-city is definitely becoming more violent [The Star, June 2]. You ask what should be done to make the streets safer. Before the police and the traffic department were merged some years ago, we used to see police patrolling the inner-city streets on foot. But now the police are too busy with things like catching motorists using cellphones while driving,and fining motorists for exceeding the 30km/h inner-city speed limit. I say bring back the traffic department, and also bring back inner-city police foot patrols. Jocelyn Pirini, of Woolston – I am shocked and appalled at the treatment Michelle and her daughter Georgia have received over this attack. I am a friend of Michelle and this attack has really affected her in more ways than one. If that had happened to me I would also have been trying all I could to get that girl off my daughter. Our justice system stinks. I wonder what the judge or the police officers would have done if that was their mother or give them an opportunity Paying an employer the equivalent of the dole to take on a young person – to give them an opportunity to learn a trade, to earn some income, to learn skills and responsibilities. It’s a much better approach than tolerating unemployment like the current government does. We know it’s bad for the kids themselves as well. We know young people out of work like this are likely to have a lifetime of poorer outcomes not just in Georgia Fergusson (left) and her mother Michelle Cocker. daughter. They wouldn’t have let that go so easy. Nichola Wilkie – The stance to pass a Bill to detain people against their will for up to 56 days to stop smoking is bizarre [The Star, May 12]. Family, whanau could dob you in – oh, how to cause a rift between loved ones, or if you didn’t like them before you surely won’t now. About 11,000 people in New Zealand die each year due to food related illnesses, 5000 due future wage earning capacity, but in terms of personal health and well-being. It might be a cliché, but our kids are our future. In coming decades the number of New Zealanders over 65 will double, and today’s young people will be steering our economy. We’re entering an age where lifelong learning, being able to train and retrain across multiple jobs and even multiple careers, will become more important than ever. to smoking-related illnesses. I have never heard of anyone having caused an accident because they have smoked too much. Smokers can be good leaders, workers and parents. It was reported on TV1 on January 31, 2012, ‘Chronic stress shrinks the brain’. Some may smoke to de-stress, so could smokers be deemed as imbeciles if the Bill is passed, by way of definition. The whole principle of the proposed Bill in my view is wrong. That’s why Labour has announced its plan for three years of free post-school education or training, available throughout someone’s life. It’ll give people the lifelong learning opportunities they need to reach their potential. The future for our city will look so much brighter if we are harnessing everyone’s talent and giving everyone in Christchurch the tools they need to succeed. City councillor Pauline Cotter (below) looks at the dwindling supply of the region’s water, and what could be done. Range of factors affecting stream flows RECENTLY The Star ran a front page article about the challenges we are facing around water supply in Christchurch, and I thank The Star for highlighting this situation. However, the choice of headline was misleading when it stated that charging for our water is on the cards for our city. In fact, this was merely part of a discussion prompted by the presentation of a report by Professor Bryan Jenkins, Christchurch’s Drying Streams: Management Actions to the Christchurch West Melton Zone Committee. The report tells us that there are two main sources that provide the base flow to our streams such as the Waimairi and Wai-iti. 1. Rainfall recharging the water table. Climate change has been the cause of less rainfall in the winter, therefore less soakage into the groundwater. Warmer temperatures has meant more water is lost to evaporation. 2. Artesian spring discharge from the aquifers in the Christchurch West Melton zone. Seventy per cent to 80 per cent of artesian inflow comes from seepage from the Waimakariri River through the shingle fans. Our urban growth and expansion means a greater amount of water being extracted from the aquifers. Forty-five per cent of the take is for residential and commercial use. So we can see there is a range of things that are affecting the stream flows. Charging for water may reduce the take, but there are other tools that could be used to reduce our water use, including exploring management plans. These could include greater use of pervious surfaces so that rain has the opportunity to soak into the ground rather than run off, water re-use tanks for non-drinking uses around the house, and education programmes that encourage users to conserve this precious resource. Environment Canterbury will be taking measurements of approximately 250 wells in the coming weeks, in order to understand the groundwater flow on the Waimakariri, and to provide data on water flows in Canterbury’s aquifer system. We must anticipate continuing climate change effects, manage the effects of urbanisation, and ensure that we acquire data to develop a water demand management strategy, way before any talk of charging for our water. •The editor responds: The headline was an accurate reflection of the article. The Oxford Dictionary says the phrase, on the cards, can mean possible or likely. Charging city ratepayers for water is one of the possibilities that will be discussed to conserve water, as was reported in the article. Elegant Enduring Eco Friendly Easy to install 66C Kingsley Street, Sydenham, Christchurch. Phone: 03 352 3628 www.venusflooring.co.nz
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The Star: June 09, 2016

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