Letters: Tauranga students shouldn't have taken day off to protest climate change

A placard prepared by a student for the recent strike over climate strike.Photo/File.

I am disgusted at the MPs and other adults who endorsed the decision by schoolchildren to take the law into their own hands and strike for any purpose, in this case about climate change (News, March 15).

Those adults are effectively encouraging anarchy.

We taxpayers spend a lot of money on teachers and buildings so that our children can be educated and we have the right to expect that children will follow the leadership of their teachers and the curriculum.

Further, if they want to protest about climate change or anything else, why don't they do it in the school holidays of which there are about 14 weeks per year?

It is probable that 90 per cent of them protested because it was a day off school.

I don't have any problem with teachers covering climate change as part of the curriculum, and that could well be followed by an educational trip to Parliament or wherever to make an orderly protest.

I hope that the principals of the schools affected punish those who unilaterally took time off, maybe a 2000-word essay on the value of education, self-discipline, and thanks to we taxpayers together with their parents for supporting them in many ways.

Bill Capamagian

Tauranga

Consultation needed

This may surprise you: Tauranga City councillors say you are continually being consulted about proposals.

The local body law states that all citizens must be consulted on plans and proposals that affect them.

All of us know this is not happening and consequently, the TCC is not obeying the law.

I believe, many things are being actioned which would never be agreed to, if there was proper consultation was operational.

Like the free gifting of a residential property, in Mission St, to a tribal trust.

Effective consultation of our community and action as directed must be done, as the law demands.

Ken Evans
Tauranga

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