The Bay of Plenty Times welcomes letters and comments from readers. Here you can read the letters we have published in your newspaper today.
Columnist's style totally out of order
I'm surprised you published Richard Moore's Crafar farms sale article (Bay Times, April 24) written in such a one-sided and inflammatory style, using phrases like Judas and 30 pieces of silver, John Key and his bazaar vendors, and NZ a cheap whore, etc.
In the interests of balanced journalism he could have cut down on the loaded emotive phrases, and emphasised some of the economic realities.
Reality one: Labour and National have seen the benefits of doing business with China, and have actively pursued trade agreements.
Two: We cannot achieve serious economic growth and its benefits, without outside investment, the two go hand in hand.
Three: The continued success of any business deal, whether between individuals or nations, depends ultimately on benefit to both parties, and mutual goodwill.
We can hardly expect goodwill from the Chinese if we start changing our laws to exclude them alone, and let's be honest, if the Crafar farms buyers were American or Australian, there'd be no issue.
Finally: If we believe as your columnist apparently does, that simply by buying Crafar farms, the Chinese will steal our dairy expertise, we must assume our dairy leadership in Fonterra are a bunch of complete idiots happily developing dairy farms on the Chinese mainland.
John Beamish, Tauranga
Editor's note: Richard Moore's weekly column is an opinion piece.
Drugs sales next?
Despite applying punitive tax on tobacco and alcohol to defray the significant healthcare and social costs from these habits, the National Party has now perversely decided "in the interests of New Zealanders" it's a good idea to fund building projects from gambling, another vice wreaking havoc on New Zealanders.
It is probably irrelevant to them that in the case of the former (and mostly likely the latter) the revenue doesn't cover the damaging costs of these vices - hardly a benefit?
Are we to expect next that they will clock on to the money that could be gained from sales of P - in New Zealanders' interests of course? Even John Key's Tea Party buddy Mr Banks appears to have lost his previous moral conviction (what else do we expect from an MP) that gambling was iniquitous, to support his mate, on the basis that he doesn't do it so it must be okay?
Having also agreed to dispose of prime New Zealand land to the Chinese (where does that sit with the Waitangi Treaty?), and sell state assets, also deemed in New Zealanders' interests, you seriously have to wonder what the National Party thinks our interests actually are? Not mine.
Simon Butler, Otumoetai
Medals mix-up
What a great turnout to the Dawn Parade this year. Never seen so many in attendance, and a great big thank you to Mount RSA for their usual top-notch hospitality.
Being an RSA veteran member I am confused at the number of people attending the ceremony and later at the club who were wearing medals on the left hand side that were clearly not medals that they had been awarded.
People should know that the wearing of medals that belonged to relatives etc should be worn on the right breast not the left.
A J Ashe, Mount Maunganui
Double standards
I saw the recent interview on Close-Up with the young Maori radical Wikitana Popata. As we live in a democracy, he is certainly entitled to make his opinion known. However, what I don't get is when he talks about "pakeha" as if they are someone else.
With the intermarriage of the colonists with the natives of the land, those who signed the treaty in 1840 and the Maori of today are two completely different people and he completely ignores the fact that a major part of his bloodline is European. Maori venerate their ancestors and that means all the parts that make up who they are.
One of his grievances is that the "pakeha" government is failing Maori but does not mention the myriad of social services set up especially for, and run by, Maori in the fields of health, education, employment, sports etc, also their own television and radio stations.
Another issue was his underlying threat of a government takeover, with violence if necessary, and yes, this is the government that pays his unemployment benefit. Thankfully he is just one of a few, while the rest of us continue to work hard, play hard, and appreciate life in Godzone.
Robin Bishop, Pyes Pa
Nudes offend
Kiri Gillespie's article states that "the nude beach was established more than 40 years ago" as if it has some official recognition.
It is not a designated "clothing optional" nudist beach. These nudists are mostly middle-aged homosexual men. In 15 years of walking to exercise along Papamoa Beach I could count the number of women nudists on two hands.
Their offensive behaviour has been going on for years.
It does not only affect people living immediately in that area but also people like myself who like to exercise by walking along the beach.
I should not have to walk in the same direction on the beach every day to avoid them.
These men use this area of the beach to meet each other and perform indecent acts in the sand dunes.
They are also exhibitionists who touch themselves when you are walking past, choose to walk out in front of you and stroll down to the water or come out of the water when they see you coming, even though you could be the only person walking in a few hundred metres.
Children will not go down to the beach through the beach access ways in this area and nor would you want them to because of what they may see.
All that it would take to get rid of these men is a few visits by the police every day.
Council and police patrols deterred this behaviour in Ladies Bay in Auckland. It is time that the Tauranga police and council did the same here instead of continuing to ignore this problem.
Robyn Tucker, Papamoa
Ban secrecy
I am glad to see there are others out there who have the same questions as I have voiced from time to time - just where have the cash settlements to Maori pockets ended up? Roger Bailey's comments beg answers, big time.
Secrecy in treaty negotiations breeds suspicion as to what the taxpayers have been subjected to - we have only to look overseas to see how mismanagement at the top can decimate a country's credibility and bring it to bankruptcy in a few short years.
This could indeed be our fate if things are allowed to go on as they have done, bleeding our country dry and making it easy for foreign interests to buy up our assets. Where will our Maori brethren be then? I am sure they will have realised that they had indeed been biting the hand that fed them. The total of cash settlements paid out is unbelievable, in our economic climate.
Who is game to pull the plug and declare a level playing field for all New Zealanders?
B Guernier, Hairini
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