"Regarding the "driftwood sofa" (News, August 26), talk about bureaucracy gone mad. It's been there giving enjoyment to a lot of people and not taking up a great deal of space.
"It's come from the sea so it's natural in a conservation area.(Abridged)"
Ailsa James
Te Puke
Avenues parking
"On May 8 there was an article in the Bay of Plenty Times about berm parking frustrating Avenues residents. This problem was created as a result of the growth of the CBD and expansion of the city along Cameron Rd. City workers chose to park their vehicles for free on grass verges in the residential area and walk into the city.
"In negotiation between our neighbourhood residents and the traffic division of the Tauranga City Council, an acceptable development of angle parking has now been completed and our neighbourhood has once more reverted to a quiet residential area with an orderly quality, as opposed to a city parking lot.
"Well done city council. The Fourth Avenue residents are grateful for your understanding and resolution to our frustrations."
Jennifer Glausiuss
Avenues
Culture push?
"It is understandable that people who have not had contact with Maori culture, but who have grown up in New Zealand should feel that Maori culture is now being pushed on them. But around the world, people embrace the beauty of different cultures. It should be no different in New Zealand. Nobody is being asked to embrace everything Maori, but we are a nation of two and more cultures, and improving the place of Maori culture in mainstream society should be something to celebrate. It certainly has not given Maori control of anything so far, despite the beliefs of some people." (Abridged)
Peter Dey
Welcome Bay
