Letters: Good care despite poor financial state of hospital

Rotorua Hospital. PHOTO/FILE

Having just spent Easter weekend in Rotorua Hospital I would like to record my sincere thanks and admiration to the ambulance ladies of St John and the hospital staff, both professionally and voluntary, for their dedication to the caring of myself and others.

Being there has given me an insight into what a great job they do.

You also learn quickly that no matter how slick you may be there's always someone suffering more.

What saddens me is the poor financial state the New Zealand hospital boards have been allowed to sink to, which clearly shows the previous government had little empathy for the average person.

Its entire philosophy, in my view, was about making money for those who already have money, in this case by letting hospitals run down to point where private hospital insurance was becoming necessary to get good care - John Key was given a knighthood while letting this happen - in many other countries he would have been given something more appropriate.

PAUL BAKER
Rotorua

RDRR opposition

Parents will know, the moment your child learns that magic word, things get a little difficult.

As if Billy thinks opposing putting on pants today, when yesterday it wasn't a problem, is going to somehow improve life. The magic word of course is "no".

But really, this is opposition for opposition's sake.

Some never grow out of this. Take for example Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers (RDRR) and their opposition to additional housing in Ngongotaha.

Headlines have recently covered homelessness, increasing rents and vastly increasing house pricing.

The Rotorua Lakes Council's recently announced Ngongotaha Special Housing Area (SHA) seeks to ease these pressures. Yet like clockwork, the RDRR have jumped at another chance to oppose the council.

It's as if RDRR thinks easing housing pressures while giving shop owners in the Ngongotaha Village more customers within walking distance is a bad thing.

Last year RDRR released a document titled "AN ALTERNATIVE FUTURE FOR ROTORUA DISTRICT", talking about Residential Expansion around Rotorua they encouraged "higher density housing " and said "...areas recommended for residential expansion and greater densification are Ngongotaha..."

Yes, the council needs to plan how it would ease roading and infrastructure issues in Ngongotaha, but just as the infant has to explain to his mates at preschool why he looks like a fool wearing no pants today, the RDRR need to explain why yesterday they were recommending residential expansion in Ngongotaha, and today they're opposing it.

Feigning concern and opposition for opposition's sake will do RDRR no favours at the ballot box next year either. (Abridged)

RYAN GRAY
Rotorua