The Bay of Plenty Times welcomes letters and comments from readers. Below you can read the letters we have published in your newspaper today.
TODAY'S LETTERS
Drive-in could hurt businesses
We have just read in your paper that the Baypark management are asking council for funding to be able to operate a drive-in movie theatre (News, March 29).
This is another council-owned organisation that has got itself into more debt than they can justify and now they want to compete with private enterprise to get themselves out of the red at the expense of the existing movie theatres.
Why is council, which is already competing with some sectors of private enterprise, once again attempting to compete with another business sector?
How long will it take before the city council organisations are in competition with every sector of the business community in Tauranga?
M CAMPBELL, Tauranga
Worthwhile cause
I just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your Wednesday articles about our local RDA.
It's so nice to be able to read about such a worthwhile cause, as I'm aware that this facility not only caters for the disabled, but also has a much wider involvement within our community catering for various other groups and members of the public.
The staff and volunteers do a fantastic job and Tauranga and beyond are so lucky to have access to such a wonderful place. Let's hope they can finally achieve that massive goal of building their much needed indoor arena.
Thank you so much for keeping us all up to date with your informative articles - keep up the good work.
PIP KWIECIEN, Papamoa
Radio blues
I would have to agree with Max Christoffersen (Bay of Plenty Times Weekend, March 26). As an avid radio and music listener of many years, going back past the the ground-breaking years of Radio Hauraki and the TIRI, I feel that radio has lost all local community individualism.
Apart from a couple of hours each morning, most stations emanate from the two main networks based in Auckland.
So for the majority of the day the public of New Zealand are fed the same old same old day in and day out with a music rotation that is so limited, that one wonders if all they are trying to do is get the ratings up by who can give the best giveaways.
Music and local culture appear to have taken a back seat to a standardised global format almost to the point of it being propaganda.
The New Zealand taxpayer has enough to reckon with, without bailing out a network that is underperforming and isn't paying its way.
An extra $96 million would go a long way in helping the people of Canterbury in their time of need, not to mention the investors of finance companies who have lost their savings.
I agree with Mr Christoffersen, networks should pay their dues on time or free up the frequencies to enable more local broadcasters to access medium power frequencies and give the public the diversity that they deserve.
JOHN HILDEBRAND, Bethlehem
Light my hour
Re Earth Hour. At last - a letter I actually agree with; and it was written by somebody living in Australia.
Thanks Viv Forbes (Your View, March 31), I couldn't agree more. Abundant, cheap electricity has been the greatest source of human liberation in the 20th century. Every material and social advance in the 20th century has depended on the availability of inexpensive and reliable electricity and the whole mentality around Earth Hour demonises it.
I cannot do that, instead I celebrate it and all that it has provided for humanity. Earth Hour celebrates ignorance, poverty and backwardness. By rejecting electricity - the greatest engine of liberation - it becomes an hour devoted to barbarism and anti-humanism, and I don't want a piece of it.
GRAHAM CLARK, Lower Kaimai
Tsunami trap
So Glenys Hudson (Your View, March 29) is getting worried about the lack of escape routes from Papamoa to the hills in the event of a tsunami.
Good on her. The penny dropped for me 15 years ago and I sleep a whole lot easier here high up in the Oropi hills. The thought of trying to get inland from any where along that coastal strip did it for me. Trying to get up from Papamoa east and on to Partons Rd in a stampede will be a non event.
With the new motorway being built all the way along the back of that coastal strip, I believe that between Partons Rd and the bridge over the Kaituna there should be built at least four emergency access ways on to that motorway complete with acceleration lanes. I think the developers should pay for them too as well as the sirens. They are the ones trying to lure people to live in such a dangerous area.
Yes, they could have gates on the [roads] so as they were only available in an emergency but at least the Papamoa East people could just slip out the back of that coastal strip and be on their way.
Anything less than this is just committing all those people along that strip to certain death in the event of a locally produced, tsunami where people may only have minutes to make it to higher ground.
(Abridged)
HARVEY RICKARD, Tauranga
Text views
* Drive in movies at Baypark tell me its a bad joke. DST means no summer start till 9pm & cold and wet in winter. Zilch now in OZ and none in NZ. Hope TCC & TCVL clowns not involved with funding this lemon.
* So wld mayor crosby enjoy crematorium as neighbour? Cunning of Legacy 2 do this aft residents gracious enuf not 2 oppose Chapel. My sympathy 2 residents
* If you are going to shut down all day parking, why not close the parking building all day parking as well. Bet that wont happen.
* Re parking in downtown. They should all b 2hr limit. 1hr is not long enough.
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