The Bay of Plenty Times welcomes letters and comments from readers. Below you can read the letters we have published in your newspaper today.
TODAY'S LETTERS:
Brave acts in school's Gate Pa battle play
If there was a word to describe the performance we watched by Bethlehem College and HTK pupils of The Battle of Gate Pa play it has to be brave.
Firstly because they chose a very sensitive subject in what happened at Gate Pa on that dark day on April 29, 1864, when Maori had to defend their land they had already entrusted Archdeacon Brown to look after for them.
Secondly, for them to tell the story of General Cameron was a brave act - unlike any Cameron committed, given tangata whenua of Tauranga are reminded of the tragedies every time they drive down a road honouring the leader who lost. We went along with our whanau with an element of skepticism, however our doubts were silenced quicker than Cameron's guns by a brilliantly written script, a tumeke production and most of all a brave performance.
Having researched the Battle of Gate Pa extensively I could not find fault with the historical/whakapapa content and this in itself speaks volumes of the director and author Kim Williamson.
To the staff and pupils of Bethlehem College and HTK, the producer Linda Anderson, Pauline Jacobs and our Caucasian cousins who went along to be edu-tained, our whanau applauds your bravery.
T Kapai, Te Puna
Waste of $9m
Re $9 million Hairini plan (News, July 6).
After spending millions, a few years ago, on the lights controlled roundabouts - which proved to alleviate most of the problems we encountered, except for peak hour traffic - why this?
Why waste another $9 million on one more temporary band-aid?
Set the money aside until the NZTA is able to four-lane the 15th Ave-Turret Rd and then put a tunnel, as promised, below State Highway 29, creating a permanent separation between highway and local traffic. Hereby giving easy access to Welcome Bay's future expansion.
W Struik, Welcome Bay
Drive on off
Does Steve have anything to Crow about?
Girls on bikes, I seriously doubt
Their motives, when they do reveal
Their structures, - kinda makes me feel
They should return to their own place, And not plague us with such disgrace.
Certainly isn't Tauranga's style,
Try elsewhere Steve, see if they can smile.
Neil Shirley, Bethlehem
Boobs okay by me
I am not surprised at the small-minded reaction to boobs on bikes by the pathetic residents of Tauranga.
If they were as vociferous at protecting individual and property rights as they are complaining about what other people do with their time this would be a much better place to live, but they have become so preoccupied with minding other people's business they have lost sight of the real enemy - the thieves of their rights.
There are already laws in place to protect the public from indecent exposure - all the police have to do is do their job properly.
It should be the job of government and police to protect its citizens from the use of force and fraud upon each other, and not impose those things upon us. It should not be their job to prevent us from victimless crime.
Boobs on bikes on public property impose by force, nudity upon the public, therefore those people should be arrested. However, I like looking at boobs. I will go to watch, and be entertained and will not be offended. If you do not wish to be offended I suggest you don't go for a look, and refrain from complaining about what other people do with their lives, and demand those you have already paid to do a job - do it.
Graham Clark, Lower Kaimai
Who wants it?
Say no to boob display in the Bay.
Disgraceful and belittling women.
What next? Nude men's parade?
Mr Crow, publish the names of the perverts requesting parade.
Yvonne Muiti, Katikati
Text views
* Re the welcome bay trafic : 5 people here all say the same stop mucking around and buld a tunnel prblem solved once and 4 all
* The proposed new layout for the wellcome bay roundabout is an expensive stopgap measure that will solve nothing.h.Hagan.Welby.
* New roundabout an absolute joke. Just paid 4 lites that work ok. How is this going to change Turret Rd traffic? Jay
* The Govt must always look at areas of cost savings including the Welcome Bay roundabout as the upgrade made to date has already solved the problem 4 now.
* Another cube building -old nissan site- have we not got anyone in this town that can design a building with a bit of wow factor. tga still set in the old ways.
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