Heckling incident not the main story
After attending the meeting of the Tauranga Ratepayers Alliance on Wednesday evening, I was wondering how the Bay of Plenty Times would report this momentous event.
Has there ever been a Tauranga ratepayers' meeting that attracted a standing room-only crowd?
That you have chosen to base your report (News, May 28) around a heckling incident that lasted all of 15 seconds during a meeting that ran for two hours tells us very little about the alliance but rather a lot about the Bay of Plenty Times.
The incident could have been covered as a sidebar to your main report.
It was ugly and undignified, but it was not perpetrated by Tauranga Ratepayers Alliance members.
Michael Esdaile
Matua
Empathy with speaker
I read with interest the front-page article (News, May 28) about a woman being berated for speaking Te Reo in a greeting to a meeting.
I, too, have been in a similar situation and can empathise with Kim Williams. I too cried at such blatant racism. It makes me wonder what kind of city we have here in Tauranga with such reactions to a few words.
Tauranga will never progress if we maintain such outmoded actions. Learn some Te Reo, I would say to those people who jeered her.
It is a beautiful language. Kia kaha Kim.
Margaret Rowland
Pyes Pa
Reality of what was said
As one of the many people present at the Tauranga Ratepayers Alliance meeting, I take issue with your misleading headline and inadequate report.
The incident you have headlined is pure sensationalism and gives a totally wrong impression of what actually occurred.
There was some small support for the unfortunate, unpleasant and insulting interjection you have reported but there was resounding applause for the subsequent and well-deserved reprimand from Peter Williams.
This fact your report fails to mention. What it does do is focus undeserved attention on the idiot perpetrator. As to the reality of what was said and the general feeling of the meeting, your report conveys little.
Nothing of the spin involved in the publicity issued by the city council about the proposed rates increase. Nothing about the views expressed by several concerning unjustified staff and salary increases, general council incompetence.
Nothing about the unwanted and unneeded "improvements" to Cameron Rd at a cost of more than $50m.
Please, in future try to present a more accurate, realistic and balanced account of such important proceedings.
Michael Batchelor
Matua
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