Ducking for cover, Letters: 28 January

The Bay of Plenty Times welcomes letters and comments from readers. Here you can read the letters we have published in your newspaper today

Stop ducking for cover

Concerning your story (Jan 25) about who will pay to promote the Bay following the Rena. Come on, leaders, it's commitment time, we need a joint strategy, not everyone ducking for cover as to who will pay.

You have proudly milked all the photo opportunities - yes, as someone who's been involved in the penguin releases, I have seen you all there. We now need grown up leadership, not squabbling, and I have no doubt if we don't get it, there will be punishment meted out at the local elections next year.

Tim Short, Tauranga

Plain ignorance

Two Saturdays ago I witnessed an older man showing two small children how to dig for pipi on the beach at Clyde St.

Perhaps the Government has been a bit less than thorough in warning people of the danger still presented by the oil beneath the sand. Or maybe people just aren't listening.

G MacLeod, Mount Maunganui

Get real, Mr Horan

What planet is Brendan Horan on? As a list MP I thought he would have had his finger on the pulse of what has been going on in the Bay of Plenty. How could he not have known that we have had a disaster off Motiti Island and a ship had run aground spilling thousands of gallons of oil into our ocean - a lot coming ashore at Papamoa. Does he not live at Papamoa?

And being an MP I would have thought that he may have been among the hundreds of great people that volunteered many hours cleaning up the oil.

Do you think that his short stint in the sheltered life in TVNZ as a weather reader has him thinking there is no real world out there? I think you should go back there and let the people in the real world get on with it. Get real, Mr Horan.

Dave Sutton, Tauranga

Out of touch

I am sorry that list MP Brendan Horan was "disgusted" and "shocked".

Was he was unaware that there was a possibility of some traces of oil beneath the sand at Papamoa Beach that spotted his daughter's togs?

This despite the best efforts of the army, Coast Care and thousands of hours of volunteer labour in the massive clean up effort.

If only the Bay had had the benefit of his wisdom and expertise during this disaster he would have been more in tune with this area, or had he bothered to listen to the warnings from Maritime New Zealand and Pim de Monchy, Rena Volunteer coordinator, and the reports that were broadcast regularly by the radio stations, and newspapers he could have maybe made a different decision.

Is this a case of genuine local ignorance, or of a list MP trying to become the sorcerer's apprentice?

Roger Mabbett, Bethlehem

Cycle registration

It is fair to say that the proposed registration of road cycles would have little impact on cycle fatalities but issuing annual Certificates of Fitness for cycles could have some part to play in this.

Cycle registration would, on the other hand, mean that pedestrians and motorists who observe silly or dangerous behaviour by cyclists could report them, in that cyclists could be readily identified.

In addition, having regard to the continual badgering for greater facilities for cyclists on the road, at least registration fees would help meet the costs and cover ACC payments on accidents involving cyclists.

Examples of cyclists riding on footpaths, across pedestrian crossings, through traffic lights and failing to give way plus wearing no helmets are easy to find. Don't try to sweep the problems caused by cyclists under the carpet.

Gil Kelly, Papamoa

Parasitic outfits

Re: Council refuses to pay for Rena ad campaign (News, Jan 25). What an excellent decision by Tauranga City Council to refuse Tourism Bay of Plenty $600,000 for an advertising campaign to reverse the Rena's grounding impact.

Tourism Bay of Plenty is a parasitic organisation like Priority One and Smart Growth which already only survive on large annual subsidies from Tauranga ratepayers. How much money do these organisations think ratepayers have to give? If they cannot survive by supporting themselves and generating their own income they do not deserve to exist at all.

I read a suggestion somewhere recently that all of these separate parasitic organisations should be shut down and their highly paid executive staff made redundant.

A new organisation combining all of the functions of the defunct TB of P, PO and SG, could then be set up with only one management and administrative structure saving in theory tens of millions of dollars. It would have to be carefully controlled and monitored, however, otherwise it would develop into a very costly out of control monster.

Roger Bailey, Papamoa