Letters to Editor: Foul play taken very seriously

Foul play taken very seriously
I feel I must respond to J Plowman's letter in last night's paper in regard to a foul play incident in a recent senior rugby match, in case people get the idea that HBRU are soft on such things.
The opposite is indeed the fact and we have a strict and proven judiciary process that deals with a number of incidents each season.
If an "ordering off" report is received and deemed to be of a relatively minor nature then the offender is issued with a "mandatory suspension" of two weeks or two games.
This is done without the need to hold a judicial hearing and is virtually an unchallengeable decision.
The report received in the incident in question said that "the player had kicked an opposition player who was on the ground, with the kick appearing to strike the upper body".
This was therefore judged to be at the lesser end of seriousness, hence the awarding of the two-week suspension. The report was all we had to go on as no further evidence was submitted.
If, as J Plowman asserts, we had been advised that a player had been kicked in the head then I would like to ensure everybody that the consequences would have been a lot harsher.
Ian MacRae, HBRU judiciary
Get story right
Dear Mr Harding, your editorial on Wednesday defending the integrity of journalists might have had greater force had you not decided to have a cheap shot at sports broadcaster Martin Devlin.
You wrote: "Hmmm - I'm wondering how Martin Devlin's feeling right now. Broadcaster (journalist?) and celebrity. If he keeps acting like a clown in public he might be a tow truck driver soon. They get to jump on bonnets, too."
With the exception of the fact that he was escorted by police off a Jetstar flight, almost everything that was said about his behaviour on the flight by the New Zealand Herald and parroted by other media, was entirely untrue. The whole thing was a beat-up.
If you or your readers are interested in the true story, they can find it at http://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz
Brian Edwards, Auckland

Local bank
A local government bank has been founded with promotion by Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule.
The banks rules are simple with the local council to subscribe to capital and also to enter into a guarantee in the event of failure of another local body.
This means that cash from Hastings District Council will go to the new bank and, at the same time, if a less prosperous council falls over Hastings will have to guarantee their debts, anything more stupid I can hardly imagine.
Lawrence Yule should concentrate on his pet subjects of combining Hastings debt with Napier's far lesser debt.Pete CarverHavelock NorthMost trustedYou ask if the so-called "New Zealand's most trusted" survey can be trusted. (HBT June 21).
I ask: what is the point of the survey?
Apart from filling in the surveyors' strenuously demanding day at the office, there's little to be gained from the outcome, because the people were given a list of pre-determined names and groups from which to rank their preferred order.
That seems rather restrictive.
If it were not so limited, I would have promoted journalists (naturally) and estate agents off the bottom of "least-trusted professions" and have them replaced with marketers of all sorts, including tele-marketers and NZ Post.
Garry Whincop, Napier
Tend to hospital
Cr Michelle Pyke is leading a group, HOPE, to demand Napier Hospital reopen. Civil Defence is to review this due to the occasion of earthquakes in Christchurch and other areas. We live on shaky sites and have a right to be concerned.
Hastings' "Hawke's Bay" Hospital has its liquefaction problem and Parkside is on a swamp.
Napier Hospital is on a 4.6ha hilltop site built on solid bedrock. Many, many years it has stood there for all to see, while others have pillaged its contents.
The surrounds and buildings have been left in disrepair. There are blocked drains and a lack of guttering, which also cause flooding on other residents' nearby properties and much damage thereto.
Many would try to buy this prime asset but it is always a non-event. In fact, its cost the council more with legal action regarding sales that didn't come off.
A large monetary sum is given every year to the Wellesley Rd medical centre with some thought to expand services, and we all know Hawke's Bay Hospital has never fully covered Napier people.
Now is the time for common sense to prevail and to attend to the Napier Hill hospital site, as our Maori people wished health to continue. The pheonix has been known to rise again.
Sheila Linton, Napier