Letters to the editor: Rotorua Forbes list mention well-deserved

The Rotorua Museum. Photo / Felix Desmarais

Congratulations Rotorua on making Forbes magazine’s list of the top 50 places in travel to in 2023.

Imagine the revenue this award will bring - but [it] could be so much more if the museum and Blue Baths were open for business.

With this mention [in] Forbes, and it being the only city in NZ to get a mention, the Government should be putting more funding into the city, especially more towards the museum and Blue Baths.

Don’t forget, we do have an international airport. So, maybe a few international flights could start heading our way?

The only problem now is getting much-needed workers. There are plenty of unemployed people, but unfortunately, the problem is getting many of them to actually want to work.

But at this moment, let’s feel pride for our city and enjoy the moment.

- Viv Radley, Rotorua

Handouts far too easy

Carmen Hall’s lead article (News, January 16) shows just how bad the internal economy in NZ is now performing.

What country of five million-plus people can afford this level of ongoing state (taxpayer) assistance to an ever-growing number of individuals that seem unable to care for themselves independently of the state?

To those that are assessed as being beneficiaries in need, or those that are deemed to require taxpayer funding assistance - the state needs you to stand on your own two feet.

It’s become far too easy to get handouts. We can and should only be providing temporary hand-ups.

Incidentally, what is the current total taxpayer cost of funding those of us that are deemed to be incapable of looking after ourselves?

This cost per head sounds frightening.

- Richard Ashton, Te Puke

Premium comments on hardship grant story:

I’m so very, very glad that my taxes are being spent on catastrophic million-dollar ideological restructurings of healthcare, media, polytechs and water, along with rewriting the history curriculum, art for parliamentarians and other pet projects while New Zealanders suffer in poverty, the roads fall into disrepair and crime skyrockets! - Jonathan S

Irrespective of whether all the hardship payments are appropriate, isn’t the growth in these payments yet another signal that this Government has got it so wrong on so many occasions and people are suffering?

Wasn’t child poverty (or some other trite statement) issued by the PM as something that she was going to be personally responsible for? - Mike H

Inflation will continue to attack the wallets of the people of this country. We were warned. We cannot say we didn’t see this coming. The current Government was warned, and chose to ignore advice. The sad thing is, the poor policy decisions, which were made with no regard to the advice received, have caused the most harm to the very people who support Labour.

If I may be so bold; New Zealand needs a stable, considered, reasonable, well-costed Government. And if we could have a whole lot less of it, that would be awesome. Thanks. - Kim B

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