Letters To Editor: We're lucky to have so much

We're lucky to have so much
Your series on burglaries and other crime was a reminder to us all to be security conscious and vigilant, though portraying a rather negative view of our community. So I felt like putting finger to keyboard with thoughts a little more positive.
Your article in Saturday's edition about Jose Aparicio inspired me to write and express how fortunate I believe we are in this part of New Zealand, and indeed the world, to have artists of the calibre of Jose and his wife, Anna, make a choice to forsake the world stages and make their home here.
I have heard them sing and been absolutely thrilled by Jose's conducting of the Civic Choir in The Creation, and look forward to many more wonderful performances in which they are involved.
Not only these two talented people though, make up the cultural scene in Hawke's Bay.
There are literally hundreds of people, professional and amateur, dedicated to the performance of the arts, and also to teaching and encouraging the young generation, and older people too, to be involved and make the most of their talents.
Napier Operatic Society, and all other theatrical groups in our cities and towns, perform a huge variety of shows for our entertainment. And then there are regular visits from the NZSO, NZ Ballet, and other touring artists and groups who perform here in our beautiful theatres.
Hawke's Bay is more than Art Deco, wine and food and farming.
There is always more entertainment on offer than most of us have the money or the time to enjoy, and few of us have to travel very far to attend these shows.
I don't know of any town in the country which has as many cafes and restaurants as Napier does and the Farmers' Markets bring a huge variety of their fresh local produce to our tables.
Sport also is a large part of many Hawke's Bay people's lives, and we have plenty of that on our doorstep, from water sports, team sports and golf and, again, there is an army of dedicated people in the background, encouraging and coaching young and old.
So hey, beat the burglars and maybe try to do our bit to encourage the young to take up sport and the arts rather than crime.
Betty Smith, Napier
Trap, neuter, return
I congratulate Hawke's Bay Today for their focus on burglary over the last week.
After reading Friday's article on young thugs who burgle and ransack people's homes and the devastating effect on the victims, I was getting pretty wild.
But then I got really wound up when the police said these teenage crims have often been recruited by gang members who pay the young thugs with drugs or cash.
All the normal obscenities were being muttered with visions of stocks or tar and feathering go through my mind.
Then I read the article on the SPCA directly below the one on the young thugs.
Headed "Trap, neuter and return is an effective way to limit numbers" I suddenly had a brain wave.
Give the police the power to trap, neuter and return these young thugs who burgle people's homes.
I am sure it would be an effective way to limit their numbers and a far better deterrent than restorative justice or a family group hug. [FGC] Oops, sorry: family group conference.
If the gangs doing the recruiting of these young thugs were given the same treatment, we could eradicate a number of problems facing our communities.
Imagine if trap, neuter and return, became the new restorative justice or FGC?
It would also solve Bill English's problems on prisons.
Trap, neuter and return.
I love it.
C'mon the Bay.
Garth McVicar, Napier
Having our say
I am a member of the Marineland Rangers and I'd like to respond to Ms Morgan's letter from May 20.
We checked with the NCC and they said that there was no age limit for who could put in a submission for their draft annual plan.
We worded it ourselves, got it photocopied and decided ourselves to go out and collect 500 signed submissions from the Napier public. We were very pleased when we managed to collect more than 700 as we only did it for a few hours.
We came up with slogans for our placards which one parent printed for us, we asked another parent for the boards and asked another parent to help us make them up.
Another parent organised penguin costumes for us and then we asked our friends and their parents to help us collect the submissions.
People congratulated us on doing a good job and encouraged us to keep it up.
Others thanked us for doing it for them too and many added their own comments on the forms.
We are also going to speak at the hearing on June 2 because we believe it is important to have our say.
We don't think what we did was "unethical".
We knew what we were doing and we knew why we were doing it.
We want to save Marineland because the animals there deserve a sanctuary.
Marineland is a safe place where you can see marine animals and get close to them.
We've been to rock pools and reserves and learned things there too.
We've learned at lot about marine life at Marineland.
We hope it reopens and we'll keep doing what we can to help. Children have a voice too.
Brianna Otto, Napier
Young rescuers
I am Liam Mataira's grandmother. Very proud of you and your friends saving the 12-year-old girl from being abducted - but do keep yourselves safe as well.
Love you and thank you for possibly saving a life of a young innocent girl.
Jo Rupuha, Hamilton
Apologies to Trevor Douglas Wakely, of Napier, whose letter titled Give Pharmac a break, guys ... published on May 27, was mistakenly signed Trevor Douglas.