Sexy Winston: Letters, 16 February

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

Winston still gets our vote for sexiest MP

I was extremely disappointed with the February 14 edition of your paper.

In particular, your article on Simon Bridges and his alleged "sexiness" was highly biased.

Although you gushed over Simple Simon, and even claimed Teflon John was our "sexiest" politician, you completely ignored one of the most handsome men to ever enter Parliament.

I am, of course, talking about Winston.

Despite being a couple years older than these arrogant National Party upstarts, I think most people would agree that Winston Peters could hold his own in any "sexy" competition.

I am not just talking about his silver mane and natural good looks either.

Winston has something that smarmy John Key and his cronies can only dream of: principles and integrity.

Keep up the good work, Winston. You'll always be the "sexiest" for us here in Tauranga.

R P Wood, Tauranga

Baby debate

I am writing to put my view in for the breastfeeding mothers vs bottle feeding.

I am a mother of three kids, the younger two being twins. I managed to breastfeed all three of them but due to badly cracked nipples with my oldest I had to put him on the bottle at six months because my nipples just weren't healing. I would have loved to have continued to breastfeed him but that wasn't the case for me. When I had twins I managed to breastfeed them for six weeks then it got too hard, being sleep-deprived, to try and feed them both at the same time.

The Department of Health and La Leche need to find out all the facts before nutting off at people or moaning about Facebook pictures [of women] who choose to bottle feed over breastfeed as there may be other reasons.

Like health issues with mother and/or baby or just simply not enough milk to keep baby satisfied, just like that rugby player who was filmed bottlefeeding his baby. They don't know why he was giving his daughter a bottle.

Laura Simmons,Greerton

Naked truth

I completely agree with the editorial in Monday's Bay of Plenty Times regarding the planned World Naked Bike Ride. As co-ordinator of the Bay of Plenty Naturists, a group with over 500 members, I disassociate myself and the group completely from the upcoming World Naked Bike Ride event being organised by Mr Pointon. Mr Pointon is not a member of the group.

WNBR is a protest action, using nakedness to draw attention to their cause. This is not naturism. It is exhibitionism.

On this issue I do agree with the local residents but please don't tar all naked groups with the same brush.

Glenne Findon, Co-ordinator BOP Naturists Tauranga

Govt must pay

There is no problem with Tauranga ratepayers providing the existing council carpark land at Durham St, behind the Bongard Centre Polytech, for use as a Waikato University campus facility. We certainly need this in Tauranga and it should be built to the maximum height permitted and should have four levels of carparking underneath the building. Build boundary to boundary to fully utilise the site available, the only issues are traffic, parking and access.

The Government must purchase the site and pay the council the market value, plus fund the complete construction and fit-out because people from outside Tauranga will also be using the facility. Tauranga people should not be expected to fund an education facility because nowhere else does. The obligation on TCC will then be to build a large multi-storey carpark at the Hamilton St site to assist with CBD parking and compensate the loss of The Strand parking, etc. Proceeds from the sale of the Durham St parking site to the Government would be used toward this carpark.

On this basis, it is a win-win situation solving a few problems relating to vital education and city parking. Anything else and it will be the usual pig's breakfast.

S Paterson, Mount Maunganui