CORRESPONDENCE

1. ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES

At its meeting on 23 August 1995 the Council resolved to urge central Government to support, through the United Nations, a total and moderate ban on the use of anti-personnel mines. The Rt Hon D C McKinnon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has responded as follows to the Council's request: "The New Zealand Government is appalled, as the Christchurch City Council is, at the effects the indiscriminate use of landmines has on civilian populations. I have seen these effects first hand in Cambodia. As a result, the Government has been involved in a number of efforts to find a solution to the difficult issue of landmine control. As you noted, the most important of these is the revision of the Inhumane Weapons Convention (IWC) this month.

This Convention specifically addresses the issue of landmines, but the controls in it are largely ineffective. New Zealand has been at the forefront, with a number of other like-minded countries, in pushing for the strengthening of the provisions of the IWC to provide the maximum possible restrictions on landmines.

The negotiations leading up to the review conference have been difficult and it is unfortunately clear that a total ban on landmines will not be achievable as of now. However, we do hope to be able to achieve the extension of the Convention to cover internal conflicts, a ban on non-detectable mines, restrictions on the transfer of landmines and tight restrictions on "long-lived" landmines. All of these should help reduce the devastating effect landmines have on civilians.

New Zealand has also taken an active stance in the United Nations, co- sponsoring a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling on mine producing nations to observe a voluntary moratorium on the export of landmines, a call which a number of countries are now observing. New Zealand does not produce or export landmines.

New Zealand has also had a continuous and active involvement in demining. While attempts to control the indiscriminate use of landmines in the future are important, the work of New Zealand deminers in helping to clear mines from countries already suffering their effects is equally essential. In recognition of this we have been actively involved in demining operations on Afghanistan, Angola and Mozambique, as well as Cambodia, and are one of the leading countries in the field of demining."

2. HOT AIR BALLOON FLIGHTS The following letter has been received from Mr Chris Rudge: "I am writing to you so that this letter can be included on the agenda for the Christchurch City Council meeting to be held on 13 December 1995. I write to you as organiser of the 1996 NZ Winter Balloon Festival and Christchurch pilot/manager of Aoraki Balloon Safaris.

Having seen a copy of the motion to be put to the Council by Councillor O'Rourke regarding ballooning over Christchurch, I wish to make the following comments:

2 Cont'd

1. Councillor O'Rourke has made many incorrect statements to the media about balloons. He is not a balloon pilot, nor does he understand how balloons fly or can be controlled.

2. Balloons are not, as he would think, at the mercy of the winds. They can be steered accurately by up to 30 degrees on most days by using different winds at different altitudes. Often in Canterbury they can be flown up to 90 degrees. Pilots also have accurate height control. Proof of this is shown in the last four balloon festivals I have attended. In one competition called a `Key Grab', where the pilot attempts to pick a key off a pole after taking off from a launch site a minimum of 3 km away, I could have landed in the same park or paddock as the key on every occasions.

3. Banning ballooning from Christchurch city parks would serve no purpose at all. Balloon pilots and balloon companies do not need Council approval to fly over the city. Approval is only required from the landowner (such as a school) and, because Christchurch lies within an aviation Control Zone, also Airways Corp and CAA. Companies currently have these approvals and will continue to fly over Christchurch regardless of what decision the Council makes. The only change will be that launch fees will go to schools instead of the Council.

4. People want to fly over Christchurch and many thousands have safely done so (including several 100 year old women!). Balloons safely fly over urban areas the world over (including London). I do not know of anyone on the ground who has been injured by a balloon landing in or near an urban area.

5. If Councillor O'Rourke is focused on banning ballooning over Christchurch due to the recent accident (which did not occur in Christchurch itself), then why does he not want to ban cars, buses, trains and other aircraft, all of which have had fatal accidents after departing from Christchurch.

6. The NZ Winter Balloon Festival has grown from seven balloons in 1993, to 15 last year and 26 this year. An estimated 10,000 people attended the Nightglow event. In Hamilton 50,000 people attended their Nightglow making it the biggest festival in Hamilton. The festival also won a tourism award. The biggest festival in the world is at Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have been going 25 years and have 700 balloons attending. In addition, 1.7 million visitors go to the festival along with 1,800 media representatives.

7. Why would the Council want to ban ballooning when it is actively supporting festivals and tourism? Why put a photograph of the NZ Winter Balloon Festival on the FRONT PAGE of the Council's A4 promotional brochure advertising the city as a ballooning destination, and then try and discourage it by revoking permits and preventing the use of Council parks?

I would like to thank all those Council staff who have supported ballooning in Christchurch to date and I look forward to seeing you and your families at the 1996 NZ Winter Balloon Festival."

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