Letters to editor: End-of-life stance disappointing

Simon Bridges does not support end-of-life choice.

It is disappointing to see that Simon Bridges has closed his ears, eyes and mind to the end-of-life choice issue.

He states he does not support this bill in line with his personal feelings. He is refusing to even listen to the people who voted for him, and others in his constituency (as well as New Zealand) the vast majority of whom support this bill. Polls continually show 70-80 per cent support for it.

He said in his interview on Breakfast on March 5 that doctors cannot play God, yet he himself is playing it by denying people the choice for themselves.

Please, Mr Bridges recognise that we are asking for choice at what is the last moments of our lives.

Esther Richards, Secretary
End-of-Life Choice BOP

More plain police cars needed
Re State Highway 2. I drive this road regularly in either a truck, car or motorbike.

The road has heavy traffic flow and it's always driver error or ignorance not helping to allow the other road users to travel freely within the law.

It's not one or two culprits but many ignorant people trying to be policemen and control other traffic by hogging the road frustrating drivers behind them.

It's not unusual to see 20 vehicles following an inconsiderate road user.

I accept everyone has their limit they drive at. I regularly follow a front car travelling between 70km/h and 80km/h in a 100km/h zone.

That's fine but when a wide road comes up they stay close to the white line. So frustrating

An example is heading north through the Athenree Gorge. On the climb out there are two lanes - trucks are good, they stay left, but these inconsiderate hogs playing policeman stay right.

The Kaimai passing lanes are the same. How many cars stay right encouraging other users to pass on the left?

The remedy is put a few plain police cars on these roads targeting inconsiderate drivers not keeping as far as practical to the left.

Police doing this it will prevent frustration and motorists taking extra risk to pass the road hog in front who thinks they are helping control the road toll. If this road is policed with a little initiative motorists will soon drive correctly and will help reduce accidents on this highway.

Sidney Peter Sandle
Mount Maunganui

Do we need a police escort next time?
On Monday, March 5, two family members and I decided because it was such a beautiful day to take the boat belonging to one of the family over to Tauranga and grab a spot of lunch.

We had never tied up in Tauranga before and were told that we could do so at Coronation Pier with access to The Strand.

Well, when we tried to tie up, we were verbally abused and threatened by a large group with children diving and bombing off the jetty.

Most were jumping into the water on the shore side of the jetty so we would not be in their way.

However, it would appear that once again political correctness had to be adhered to so we returned to the Mount.

So for the future, were we in the wrong? Or are we to request a police escort next time?

Alan Ashe
Mount Maunganui

Sick of Hubbard cartoons
I agree with Margaret Murray-Benge (Letters, March 8) and others regarding Hubbard's cartoons.

I am getting sick every time he cruelly attacks people, nearly always people who just fell out of power.

Bad taste and not funny at all. It's never funny trying to humiliate people who achieved much in their life for their body images and unrelated to their jobs facts of their personal life.

Irina Plummer
Mount Maunganui

Maori ward nonsense
What a lot of nonsense is being thrown around about separate Maori wards.

I believe in the fact that we are New Zealanders, and we all need to work together. We are all equal before the law, which is what makes this country a democracy. Why would anyone want to set up a separate Maori ward which would stretch from Waihi Beach to Maketu and expect one councillor to represent that huge geographic ward?

It could, of course, be broken into two Maori wards which would appear to be fairer, but anyone of us could stand in the separate Maori ward, not just a person of Maori decent.

I think it is so sad that anyone should think Maori would be better off. We work at council with very fine Maori who are more than capable of standing for election in a general seat.

Why should voters who happen to be Maori restrict themselves to only voting for one person. Surely Maori would want to vote on other candidates standing.

As we debate the issue of representation, we should also consider why more women are not elected. I am the only female councillor on the Western Bay of Plenty council.

Margaret Murray-Benge
Bethlehem

Some want voting freedom

Does Peter Dey (letters, March 13) not comprehend that some Maori who are on the electoral roll for the purpose of general elections for Parliament actually want the freedom to vote for whomever they want to represent them in local body politics, no matter what their cultural preference may be?

They cannot exercise that freedom of choice if there are Maori wards within a district/city council.

Maureen J Anderson
Pyes Pa