Letters to the editor: Parking in Tauranga few and far between

A reader says there are plenty of parking options in Rotorua compared with Tauranga. Photo / File

We went to Rotorua for lunch on the way to Taupo last week and what a surprise - the CBD had miles of parking, much of it free and right in town amongst lovely gardens.

The town was quite busy but we had the choice of dozens of spaces.

On Friday night, we went into Tauranga for dinner at 6pm and after wending our way through uncompleted road works, road-closed signs and torn-up footpaths, we looked for a carpark.

We followed a bunch of other cars, looking at every street and found a park about six blocks from the restaurant.

Yippee, a nice walk in the rain, an excellent meal and then a long drive home through the minefield which used to be Cameron Road.

Thanks, Tauranga City Council.

Dan Russell, Tauranga

Compulsory reading for MPs

The latest offering by Dawn Picken on the healthcare crisis (Opinion, November 5) is outstanding and should be compulsory reading for every MP.

Dawn tells us that with any complex issue, no single solution exists.

Be that as it may, I believe the establishment of the third medical school is of paramount importance. With a relative in medical school, I was surprised she had to fight hard to be accepted. Not through lack of prior qualifications but because there were only a limited number of vacancies. That we are turning people away who wish to train as medical doctors is unacceptable.

Lawrence Woods, Katikati

What happened to respect?

KFC Greymouth hit the headlines over the somewhat terse reply to an upset customer, advising him to, well, fundamentally, depart (News, November 16).

The customer was understandably aggrieved, observing clientele shocked, and KFC is not making any meaningful comments until the smoke from the kitchen has cleared.

Sadly, the language used is actually more appropriate when setting the dogs on to an errant flock than in a fast-food joint.

Perhaps I’m out of touch a tad, but the deterioration of respect in everyday life is depicted in this sordid episode and we all contribute to some degree.

We accepted Toyota’s ‘’Bugger’' adverts as clever more than 20 years ago, and yet an earlier generation was horrified at such language.

The incremental slide into violence and mayhem comes about when we all accept evil as good.

John Williams, Ngongotahā

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