Letters to the editor: Balls to shabby PR

Napier's Rugby World Cup 2011 organisers have dropped the ball and I for one could not be happier.
Plans for the giant, gaudy and pointless grass rugby ball that was planned for Marine Parade have been ditched (or should that be mowed?) in favour of a large, more kid-friendly, inflatable rugby obstacle course to be situated on the parade for the period of the tournament.
The idea alone that grass, scaffolding and chicken wire would be a suitable representation of Hawke's Bay and its love of the oval-balled game was ridiculous and it's a sad indictment on the powers that be that it took them this long to figure that out.
Recently Napier's tourism industry people blamed the former "Hawke's Bay, Wine Country" brand for a drop in visitor numbers, trade and income in our city.
It doesn't take a grass (or crystal) ball to see that perhaps some investigation or blame closer to home may be more appropriate.
Napier needs new ideas and fresh blood from those who truly love this city to see it promoted and prosper the way it deserves. We certainly deserved better than this.
Andrew Frame, Napier
Policy a threat
"Confusion over school targets": your headline (May 9) says it all.
And what it means is that those responsible - the minister and her ministry - are failing the children and parents of this country.
The minister dismisses a teachers' union survey as "unscientific".
But our principals here in Hawke's Bay are telling us that there are indeed serious problems with the proposed National Standards and that they will be damaging to many children.
When the ministry is failing to provide the basic support teachers need, and also failing to respond to the serious concerns expressed, remedial action is needed.
And when 750 school principals nationwide pass a vote of no confidence in the current direction of education policy by a massive margin, every New Zealander should sit up and take notice.
Add in attacks on pre-school education, further financial pressure on a tertiary sector that is already over-stretched, and the destruction of what used to be a valuable (and economically effective) adult education programme, and you have compelling evidence of a government that is doing real, lasting harm to public education in this country.
For the sake of our children and their future, this needs to be a major election issue.
Robin Gwynn, Former Associate Professor of History, Massey University
Act in jack-up
The takeover of the leadership of the Act Party by Don Brash is a jack-up with the National Party to try and get back the National voters who are not happy with the deal done with the Maori Party on the foreshore and seabed.
R Diskin, Flaxmere