Letters to the editor: Gang violence and giving Huntly a fair go

Police swarm Taradale CBD following gang-related altercations. Photo / File.

Re Kate Hawkesby's editorial on rising gang violence (Opinion, January 13).

Gang violence is one of the great number of ongoing challenges the world, and society, been unsuccessfully trying to overcome for centuries, in spite of ever-increasing knowledge, resources, expenditure of money, and new laws.

"Why isn't more being done about gang violence?" requires the recognition of generational failures of how we've been developing society's foundation, as its quality depends upon the quality of its people.

So to address these problems requires addressing people's individual values and attitudes. When born all have latent human and social potentials, and, animal and survival instincts. These are fostered from all their very earliest experiences – the potentials establishing their human and social qualities and critical foundation, but when neglected, instincts flourish undermining any foundation.

All young are potential parents so require this understanding of nurturing, expectations, provision of example and love, but this has never been universally provided nor what qualities actually constitutes these.

The deprivation from missing foundation is an unrecognised factor across every section of human endeavours resulting in inequality, exclusion, homelessness, extreme religious behaviours, new types of belonging such as gangs devoid of humanity and lacking concern for others.

Spreading understandings of causes and failures empowers citizens to make personal changes and foster social changes.

Hugh Hughes, Mount Maunganui

Huntly needs encouragement

How Huntly Stacks Up (Travel, January 29).

I've never lived in Huntly; I've visited and, passed through.

It may not be a township sparkling with life but, to call it, "The skid mark in the underpants" and then refer to it as New Zealand's "Sh.....t town" is not only derogatory but, I feel, in really bad taste.

Towns, such as Huntly, need encouragement - not to be slated.

It has such a lot of coal mining history that I'm sure, with vision and funding of course, it could become a thriving tourist attraction. A township to stand proud once more. So, I say to you, Helen Van Berkel (writer of the article), positive comments are a far nicer read.

Pauleen Wilkinson, Rotorua

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