The Bay of Plenty Times welcomes letters and comments from readers. Here you can read the letters we have published in your newspaper today.
Trains foil renovation on Strand
I see council is going to spend megabucks on The Strand reclamation upgrade.
I would venture to suggest that nothing will ever work until all the freight trains are removed and relocated via a bridge over the harbour.
High level no longer necessary.
Leave the old line for future commuter rail between Katikati and Te Puke.
Only then will peace reign once more and The Strand people will breathe a sigh of relief.
Cedric Sutherland, Otumoetai
Great volunteers
I would like to extend a heart-felt thank you from Arthritis New Zealand to the thousands of volunteers, members and donors who helped to make our 2011 Arthritis Appeal Week a success.
We are proud to report that thanks to the ongoing generosity and support of our donors, we raised $5051 in the Bay of Plenty region during this year's appeal. Across the country, we raised a total of $390,600.
We depend on fundraising for 75 per cent of our income; it is paramount to our success.
Without your generous donations, we wouldn't be able to help the over 530,000 New Zealanders who live with the pain of arthritis everyday.
Although this year's street appeal has concluded, our work to improve the health and well being of people who are affected by arthritis continues, and we still need your help.
If you missed our collectors, you can still support us by making a $20 donation by calling 0900 333 20. If you would like to learn more about the services we offer, how to volunteer, or make a donation, ring 0800 663 463 or visit www.arthritis.org.nz.
Sandra Kirby, Chief Executive, Arthritis NZ
Greens active
J Turner (letters, November 9) makes the baffling comments that the Green Party has been noticeably quiet on the Rena disaster and that, by supporting coastal shipping rather than increased roading, they set the stage for more environmental disasters.
Perhaps if Ms/Mr Turner lived in the Bay, and not Geraldine, s/he would be aware of the immense efforts of both the national and local Greens to get public meetings going to inform the public and then in helping with the clean-up.
How on Earth Mr/Ms Turner could have missed the Greens, long before the Rena grounding, bringing to attention the dangers of shipping under current legislation, goodness knows.
But the current Government was not interested in safety, only in opening up New Zealand to allcomers for the sake of money.
We reap what we sow.
Gillian Oakbrook, Welcome Bay
Count blessings
With the elections not far off, I read that the tax-and-spend party have produced a 10 point list moaning about the current situation.
Most people are aware of high unemployment in Greece (16.3 per cent) and the current turmoil in Italy. But waiting in the wings is Spain.
Spain's unemployment rate just reached 21.5 per cent.
The number of households without any income including unemployment benefits also reached a record level, 559,900, or 3.2per cent of all families.
Makes New Zealand's 6.6 per cent unemployment and zero households without any income, positively brilliant.
So why aren't we counting our blessings instead of moaning and complaining?
Roy Edwards, Tauranga
Disgusting photo
I am disgusted at Phil Goff using the Rena oil spill as a photo-opportunity of him, so-say, helping to clean up our beaches.
At the same time he shows his ignorance by attacking the Government regarding the latter's response.
This is hypocrisy of the worse kind as he must be aware of the fact that the Rena hit the reef on a Wednesday morning but in the afternoon of the same day the specialist teams from around the world landed here.
You can't get a quicker response than that.
To the team's dismay it was found that the ship's oil pipe had ruptured and oil was already leaking.
Pumping equipment was flown on board and large amounts of oil were stopped from entering the environment by this method
Phil Goff's scurrilous remarks are an insult to the salvage crew who, often in extremely hazardous conditions, have worked night and day to remove the oil from the Rena.
The volunteers who have cleaned up our beaches are to be congratulated for the fabulous work they have done.
I hope the City Council has worked out a scheme to thank the salvage operators.
I am sure a huge number of Bay residents would support a gathering to thank them and the volunteers.
(Abridged)
Catherine Thompson, Tauranga
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Tauranga's bombing competition has been named an official qualifying event for 2025.