Letters to the editor: Tauranga Hospital care truly appreciated in trying conditions for staff

A Tauranga Hospital patient has praised staff. Photo / Mead Norton

OPINION:

In September 2022, I was taken by ambulance to Tauranga Hospital’s emergency department.

I was diagnosed with kidney stones and a minor heart issue.

Since that time, to date, I have received several procedures at the hospital and, finally, recently got rid of the last kidney stone.

My trips to the hospital have included visits to various departments, including the emergency department, cardiology and radiology, and [I] noticed a lack of space and an apparent shortage of staff. I felt extremely sorry for all those working in these conditions.

This impediment did not hamper the goodwill shown to me by all staff.

I would have loved to have been able to reward those who seemed to go out of their way for my benefit, but there are just too many of them.

I hope this letter will let Tauranga Hospital staff know the care and attention given to me was truly appreciated.

I wish them all the best for the future.

Graeme Fair

Pyes Pa

Rāhui report lacked translations

The Bay of Plenty Times has reported that a ‘rāhui’ sign was posted in Hawkes Bay after Cyclone Gabrielle - to protect the public from contaminated water (News, February 20).

In the two sentences of the report, there were no fewer than six Māori words, with no English translation.

How many non-Māori speakers would understand it?

If we want to communicate clearly to the majority of people, we must use the common language.

I support the learning of Māori language, but I believe mixing up Māori words into an otherwise English sentence mutilates both languages.

For clarity of communication, can’t English, the common language, be put at the top of any signage (including the names of Government departments) with the Māori language below?

This order does not denigrate the value of any second language.

It just acknowledges the reality of which language is actually the lingua franca.

This is standard practice in many other bilingual or trilingual countries.

Judy Hayden

Tauranga

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