There are often things in life that get broken, but by far the most devastating is the broken family.

It is the single most significant factor in just about everything bad we see and hear about ourselves these days.

It's clogging up our jails. Most of these children didn't have a chance because they weren't born into families in the first place.

It is the essence of many childhood illnesses we have today, clogging up our health system, especially mental health.

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It turns mothers against fathers. Love into hate. Watching this upsets the children.

It pits grown children (adults) against elderly parents to abuse and prise their worldly wealth from them.

And perhaps worst of all, some children don't even know who their fathers are, which is an indictment on men in our culture.

The family is stressed. The family is broken. And it's the kids that are suffering.

Sadly, we have some of the worst parents on the planet in this country.

And it's killing all of us in one form or another.

Graeme Martin
Brookfield
Petrol taxes

Petrol price increases will also increase the GST that the Government gets.

Therefore Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless and the Mayor of Auckland, Phil Goff, should not have to add a regional petrol increase as well to pay for infrastructure.

The Government should help pay for it.

Hilary R Burrows
Papamoa


An issue of pronunciation

While watching the TV3 news on June 9 I heard Tariana Turia talking about her love for the Whanganui river; I noticed she pronounced it as Wanganui with the h being silent.

As I am from Taranaki, not Turanuki as some would say, I was always taught the people of the West Coast North Island do not, and never have pronounced WH as F. if this is so, why do the so-called expert te reo teachers tell us differently.

Neil Harvey
Welcome Bay