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:
Put school bullies in court to pay for actions
It has come to my attention that lately this country is getting to the stage of violence that could lead to more and more deaths of students.
Take for example the latest incident at local high school Tauranga Girls' College. The students planned the attack and kept the teacher from helping the attacked student.
I have a young sister who goes there and it worries me that she will drop out and struggle in these tough times like me, because of bullying.
Her friend was attacked prior to this, which left her traumatised when she returned to school, even though her attacker had been stood down for that week.
The punishments that bullies are getting are ridiculously stupid and need to be upped.
The girls who were the attackers in the more recent incident should be on trial in a court and if need be, do time in juvenile detention centres.
It may sound harsh but it is a cruel fact that if these kids don't get the full picture of their consequences, they will continue to bully and make everyone else's lives miserable.
Sarah Jones, Tauranga
Panel-beaters happy
They say they're changing the right-hand turn road rule to bring us into line with overseas traffic rules.
I've had my licence for almost 50 years and remember clearly when the right-hand rule was introduced to stop confusion. And it did. (Although some people still don't understand it.)
I think the current rule is quite straightforward and simple and the majority of intelligent drivers have no problem. Give way to any vehicle on your right who's turning right. Simple.
This new rule will no doubt totally confuse people.
In some cases you will have to give way to right-turning vehicles on your right, vehicles on your left turning right and vehicles on your right turning left, how confusing is that?
No doubt panel-beaters and car painters will be jumping for joy.
While the powers that be are fiddling away, and to further add to the road carnage, why not change to driving on the right hand side, after all, heaps of people already do. We would also be in line with the vast majority of overseas drivers.
If this right-hand rule is to be changed, at the very least every person currently holding a NZ or International drivers' licence should have to re-sit the license test.
Pete Kelly, Te Puna
Clan concerns
I read about the secret Maori welcome to Tauranga City CEO Mr Ken Paterson, with concern - only a handful of Maori, "three Scottish Council staff" and a few usual suspects were present. No public notification of the welcome. Ordinary ratepayers and councillors left out in the cold.
Mr Paterson lost no time "affirming the affinity between the people of Scotland and New Zealand Maori".
That sounds very much like tribalism embracing tribalism. Clans and iwi marching forward together. Surely our new chief executive officer is not espousing a race-based future for Tauranga?
Perry Harlen, Mount Maunganui
Free speech
It saddens me that in New Zealand we have taken to attacking people for having an opinion. I am sure that many would join me in supporting the right to free speech.
However it seems that many want to punish people for having an opinion differing to their own.
I refer to the recent frenzy in which thousands are reportedly calling for the resignation of Alisdair Thompson for his comments about why he thought women in the workplace earned less on average than men.
I have yet to read anything of substance from those calling for his resignation that supports a counter view. Perhaps readers should read Why Men Earn More by Warren Farrell before they start shooting from the lip.
I am not defending Mr Thompson's behaviour or beliefs, but hoping Kiwis think before bleating like uneducated, brainwashed, performing sheep.
Roy Edwards, Tauranga
Text Views
* There is no way another cell tower should be built. I have 2 kids at the nearby school and are naturally concerned for their health. I wonder if michael bouliane of 2 degrees would like his kids exposed to the potential threat these towers posses. Very concerned!
* Good on them sticking up for the community i have a son on the way i dont want him to go to a school if the phone towers are that close
* why not put our trains back on between auckland and tauranga. We could go up on trains and back and keep our road toll down as alot of visiters from overseas arent good on our roads. Yvonne lowe
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