Letters to the editor: Police pursuits, history and animal welfare

A reader is disappointed at the use of the phrase police pursuit. Photo / File

On reading the article, Residents' plea to drivers (News, January 11) I am again disappointed the Bay of Plenty Times refers to "police pursuit".

This implies that the police caused the problem, but it is in fact the fleeing driver who is at fault. Implying that the police are to blame shows the Bay of Plenty Times has no respect for the police, who, by doing their job as required, are keeping our community safe.

A fleeing driver puts everyone else at risk. Any collateral damage needs to be charged to the fleeing driver.

The simple answer is for a fleeing driver to pull over when required by siren and flashing lights. This is the law.

(Abridged)

Graham Macgregor
Gate Pa

Historical account challenged

Buddy Mikaere in his column (Opinion, February 29) fails to give an accurate historical account of the land confiscations following Māori surrender after their defeat at the Battle of Te Ranga.

Mikaere claims 250,000 acres were confiscated. He fails to mention that most of this was returned, making the net loss no more than 50,000 acres and maybe a lot less.

To quote the Ministry for Culture and Heritage's NZ History: "Little land was taken from them and the government even provided food and seed to 'tide them over the after-effects of their long campaign'."

(Abridged)

Richard Prince
Welcome Bay

Animal welfare concerning

I have been alarmed travelling around during the holidays seeing endless farm
animals with no shade during this heat. I saw a herd of cows trying to get some
shade from one power pole.

We see desperate adverts in the media trying to make people feel good about meat and dairy and this is how the cows are really treated in full view of us all.

I think it is time farmers and animal owners were forced to do the right thing.

If a lot of these animal owners have no heart or soul the laws have to intervene and we will all be able to report farms with animals suffering in these temperatures.

And what if there's a hail storm? Zero protection. This is appalling.

(Abridged)

Kary Jamieson
Tauranga

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