Letters to the editor: Tourists choose Tauranga for scenery, Wellington for museums

Tourists don't come to Tauranga to see a museum, a reader says. Photo/file

Protecting green spaces

I refer to the letter from M Y Brooks in your paper (Letters, March 5). Ada Taylor is well entitled to her view that we need to protect our green space. Visitors come here for our beautiful beaches, spectacular scenery and our outstanding climate. Visitors go to Wellington for museums, not beautiful beaches, not spectacular scenery and not an outstanding climate. No disrespect to the windy city.
Mark Reid
Papamoa Beach

Snail mail

NZ Post, please change your name to Snail Mail Ltd, and make your mission statement the following: "We undertake to deliver your mail at least 10 days or longer, regardless of the destination." In my opinion, your lack of service is a disgrace and certainly not worth the $1 fee. Yes, I do use emails but there are certain times when sending a card etc is more appropriate, especially to the elderly when they do not use computers.
Lois Slater
Pyes Pa

Inconvenient truth

I read with interest the article in regards to the influence of screen time by child psychotherapist Augustina Driessen (Back Page, March 17). Also the insert of Papamoa school. I think the only relevance between the two is that the school is at the top of the cliff handing out the tools so the children can fall down the cliff in the hands of people like Mrs Driessen. The school doesn't see the damage that is talked about in the article. That comes later. Unfortunately I think this is something like climate change. We only start reacting once it affects most of us too much. Mrs Driessen, you portrait an inconvenient truth. My respects.
Adriana Louis
Tauranga

Museum community decision

I was gobsmacked to read (News, March 16) of the shenanigans at the previous day's council meeting considering the museum options. Firstly, some councillors led by Cr Baldock tried to manipulate the wording of the museum referendum to offer only the Cliff Rd site. I was then also gobsmacked that tangata whenua demanded their views on the siting of the museum should outrank everybody else. We then had threats of disputes with council from Buddy Mikaere if tangata whenua did not get their own way.
If Maori are paying the $25m then I am happy for them to have a Maori museum on Cliff Rd but if, as I am sure, ratepayers are paying then this should be a decision for all ratepayers. The council should not be seen to be caving in to bully-boy tactics. For God's sake councillors, grow some cojones and tell the tangata whenua the siting of the museum is a community decision and not theirs alone.
With "this ongoing circus" as Mr Mikaere calls it, it makes the no museum referendum option very attractive.
Richard Prince
Welcome Bay