Time for truth: Letters, 11 April

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

Stop signs no use if they are ignored

I wish to draw attention to a safety issue.

There is no speed restriction on vehicles entering from Maunganui Rd, theoretically traffic entering may do so at 50km/h into this narrow lane, which they frequently do.

I recently averted a tragedy with a 5-year-old child in my care. After leaving a shop with me, the little guy started to run across the lane to the carpark as a car came into the northern end of the lane at speed, I was able to snatch him from being knocked down by a very close margin.

A shop assistant witnessed this and told me there had been many such near misses that have drawn attention to this and the fact that the stop signs on this lane are completely ignored.

I counted 15 cars go straight through without stopping before one obeyed the sign.

This happens every day. If the law enforcers are turning a blind eye to this then the stop signs should be removed and replaced with give-way signs instead on this busy lane.

Ian Romley, Mount Maunganui

Time for truth

With regard to Oneroa Stewart's letter of March 28 concerning the returning of tribal land: She has obviously chosen to ignore the fact that in the 1930s and 40s there were many full and final settlements by the Government to Maori. The original Tiriti O Waitangi was signed and sealed with the words "he iwi tahi tatou - now we are one people". Since the setting up of the 1975 Treaty of Waitangi Act, with a false "Royal-style" document by James Freeman, in which he left out the words "To all the people of New Zealand", the Waitangi Tribunal has ruled supreme.

Even the politicians, Pakeha and Maori, know of this huge injustice, started by the Labour Government and continuing to the present day, but choose to ignore it, from now at their peril.

For some reason however, New Zealanders, Pakeha and Maori alike, have chosen to bury their heads in the sand over it.

But things are changing and the truth will set us free.

R McGuinness, Tauranga

Blame the band

Sad news from Edinburgh that the two giant pandas which arrived at the zoo in December have failed to mate and the female's fertility level, the window of opportunity, has now passed. Perhaps they are still deeply traumatised after being greeted by massed pipe bands on their arrival.

Roly Hammond, Matua