Letters to Editor: Reduce speed

Reduce speed is only way to keep kids safe

It's interesting that Napier City Council roading engineers have taken six months to make a decision on installing flashing school zone signs outside two schools in Greenmeadows and they won't be in place until the end of the year.

Anyone would think that this is the first time it's ever been done.

The signs stop short of actually reducing the speed outside schools to 40km/h , even in light of the overwhelming evidence that a big percentage of motorists are travelling faster than 50km/h.

A change in the bylaw is all it would take to achieve this, so I have to ask, why would you not opt to reduce speeds within school zones to help make life safer for kids on their way to school?

Bernie Kelly, Cycle Aware Hawke's Bay

Who'd have thought it?

We were very pleased to note that Niwa has predicted warmer and drier weather for the summer.

Presumably this means warmer and drier weather than the winter just past.

If this is so, then is it safe to assume that the following winter will be colder and wetter than this upcoming summer?

Does somebody at Niwa actually get paid to forsee these gems on behalf of Niwa or do they simply, and independently, consult their own individual oracles?

Dave Hale, Napier

Issue with milk story

We, like you, celebrate economic success in Hawke's Bay; however, I was disappointed to see the article on milk formula on the front page of your paper (2/9/11).

While we applaud new economic initiatives and are mindful of the health benefits of employment, by having a picture of a baby feeding from a bottle next to an article about baby formulas, your newspaper unwittingly greatly hindered the promotion of breastfeeding.

There is empirical evidence worldwide that breastfeeding of babies promotes optimum health, at infancy and into adulthood. This evidence is behind the funding of best practice models and promotion of breastfeeding by the Ministry of Health and District Health Boards.

The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (The Code) was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981 and New Zealand in 1983. The Code aims to contribute to the provision of safe nutrition for infants by protecting and promoting breastfeeding. Part of that code (which is relevant to the media) is to prevent marketing personnel, in their business capacity, seeking direct or indirect contact of any kind, with pregnant women or with mothers of infants and young children.

While we understand there are times when economic imperatives and the promotion of them in your newspaper are outweighed by the bigger picture, we believe it would have been more responsible to have run this story, minus the photo, on the business pages.

Liz Banks, Breastfeeding adviser, Hawke's Bay Hospital