Letters: Homeless not wanted in the CBD

Begging and rough sleeping restrictions apply in the Tauranga CBD. Photo / File

It is disturbing to read that the new city council is even contemplating reversing last year's rough sleeping bylaw keeping such people at least 5m from retail premises.

Apparently there is some legal challenge to the bylaw under the New Zealand Bill of Rights.

What about the rights of shopkeepers and every other citizen going about their business?

If the legal challenge is successful it will just tell us that the Bill of Rights legislation is flawed.

Citizens are penalised for parking too long, there are massive rules about freedom camping, even to the extent that some councils are prosecuting boozed young people sleeping it off in their cars, so why shouldn't rough sleepers be restricted?

These people have support available, financed by taxpayers and ratepayers, along with a lot of support from good charitable organisations including my own Holy Trinity Church.

One comment in your paper was that the homeless don't feel comfortable in the city because they know that they are not wanted.

What's wrong with that? It is true.

There are many homeless, whom I would term as more sensible, who choose low-profile abodes which from my casual observation are far more appropriate anyway.

Our society spends far too much time listening to the tail wagging the dog.

(Abridged)

Bill Capamagian
Tauranga

Where's the atmosphere?

I was in the city last Saturday for Mr G's exhibition and the city was very busy as obviously a cruise ship was in and lots of people were at the art exhibition.

One thing that stood out was the lack of atmosphere.

With Council always banging on about bringing the vibrancy back to the CBD, I thought a band in Red Square and maybe the waterfront or a busker or two around the city would have brought the city alive and created a bit of much-needed atmosphere.

Colleen Tane
Ōhauiti