Celebrate partnership
During the 2016 US presidential election it is alleged the Russian Government used Twitter to spread "fake news" and misinformation about the democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
As with any tidbit of information, the more shocking, the more sensationalist, the more likely the information is to be shared.
It's unfortunate the RDRR has taken the blueprint which saw Donald Trump become President and has kicked off its 2019 council campaign early by attacking a local business by spreading misinformation, only using Facebook instead of Twitter.
The news which appeared on my Facebook wall that I'd soon be dodging duelling downhill mountain bikers as I remembered my uncle who has a tree in his memory planted in Centennial Park certainly shocked me.
However, that was until I remembered the massive empty paddock between the Ikeda Peace Garden and the barbecue area, once home to a fully formed dual slalom mountainbike track used by my mates and I on many occasions in my youth when the track was still in good shape.
A quick look at the real proposal, not the misinformation spread by the RDRR, shows this is indeed the location being proposed.
We should celebrate and encourage partnership between the council and local business which enhances Rotorua at no cost to ratepayers with the shared aim of bringing more visitors to town to keep our economy humming, not drag them down for the sake of petty political points against councillors and cycling advocates.
Ryan Gray
Rotorua
