Ben McCann inside his Anjuna Beer Garden development on Gisborne's main street that has not been able to open because its liquor licence was appealed by a nearby kura.
OPINION
Meant to be vibrant centres of life
First, I would like to congratulate Ben McCann for his efforts to bring some life back to our high street with Anjuna Beer Garden. Gisborne as a town desperately needs more entertainment options.
I feel extreme disappointment that it seems instead of helping him and encouraging him with his new venture, the establishment seems hell-bent at getting in the way. What a stuffed up world we live in.
High streets are meant to have shops, bars, restaurants and cafes, and be vibrant centres of life. We need to encourage these types of ventures to start up and stay. Not destroy them.
Schools in a high street!?! No parking, no playground, no gym - totally the wrong place for a school.
If they want to stay there, fine, but don’t stop the other activities that are meant to be in the high street from operating.
I hope our licensing committee bang their heads together and get some common sense.
A very disappointed resident of Gisborne.
Graham Mackey
Completely unacceptable
Re: Accusations fly over compliance after bar plans halted by kura appealing licence, July 19 story.
This is such a disappointing outcome. How can Gisborne have a lively central business district without entertainment and hospitality premises? For the council to restrict this kind of development in our CBD is completely unacceptable.
Why is the appeal of the licence being upheld when the school did not yet have resource consent to operate in the way they had described in their appeal? Where is the sense?
Thane Houston-Stevens
Four more years
Unfortunately for the Trump haters among us, they’re going to have to get used to his face gracing our monitors, TV screens and newspapers for the next four or five years.
Like him or loathe him, it’s now virtually impossible for him not to win the White House in November.
Rolly Hay
Blocking the bike lane
Riding along the bike lane on Grey St on Sunday I had to go around a car parked in front of the skate park. They were parked right over the start of the lane, making me try to go around the back of the parked car and negotiate a not-so-easy spot - and it ended with me falling off my bike.
The driver was oblivious to my situation as they were seated in a foldable chair watching their moko at the park.
A) Agree or not, it is a cycle lane. There were parks available.
B) The driver did not offer to help me up as others did. Instead they just indignantly sat in their chair stating they hadn’t seen anyone use the lane.
That is completely not the point - there were available parks and this is a cycle lane!
Matthew Roderick
Minority of one
Re: Grey St changes a winner, July 20 letter.
I understand Manu no longer resides in this part of the island yet still feels the need to pontificate on how those most negatively affected by Gisborne District Council decisions should react to imposed lifestyle changes that don’t affect him.
I have talked to a few of those who have responded in this newspaper and it would appear he is in a minority of one supporting the changes. And this from a man who has himself spent a lifetime railing against local and central government decisions that he considers to be dreamed up by “idiots”. Enough!
Clive Bibby
Opportunities in better alternatives
Clive and others will be thrilled to know our family home is still at Makarika and I can still be found there most weeks. I’m in and out of the region on a regular basis, as I have been for many years, and still working on issues of mutual interest to all of us keen to see Tairāwhiti remain a liveable place for generations to come.
I haven’t got all the answers but it feels like we’re collectively starting to understand the physical, economic and ecological limits of some options - which opens new opportunities for better alternatives. Exciting times, but I acknowledge it can be scary for those of us who find change difficult - whether that’s a simple road layout or regional land use and industries.
Manu Caddie
Important kaupapa
Re: Hear4U missing from trust’s funding list, July 12 letter.
Kia ora Roger, it is unfortunate that your Hear4U organisation was not a successful recipient in this round of Trust Tairāwhiti’s funding. However, to begrudge and belittle the important kaupapa of our initiatives under the umbrella of our Tolaga Bay Inn Charitable Trust is not only bad taste but total ignorance of the significance of our mahi.
Not only have we created an evergreen fund for grassroots entrepreneurship and on-site training opportunities, we have historical significance and rich cultural heritage that we will keep alive for our next generations. If you’d like to discuss further, haere mai ...
Lily Stender, Tolaga Bay Inn
Picture says 1000 words
Re: End of an era, July 20 story.
The roundup of Paul Rickard’s career could have run for a week, including Sunday and Monday. He was always working for customers over his long time as photographer at The Gisborne Herald.
Paul took a photo of me and Dave Peach with the biggest weighed marlin ever caught in New Zealand.
The mounted marlin is now displayed at the Gisborne Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club for all to see over a beer or meal.
I am speechless when thanking Paul for taking the photo of the best day of my life.
Just a huge thank you, Paul. A picture says a thousand words ... a couple of words could be 473.2kg, or 1043 pounds, or a “grander”.
Alain Jorion, GTSFC life member
How a resilient Kiwi village hopes to bounce back from a big drop in visitors.