Your letters: Feral owners, Truck menace

Owners are feral

So school children are now the target of Gareth Morgan in his campaign to poison their minds against helpless animals.

It is not the abandoned cats that are feral, it is the humans who abandoned them.

According to Mr Morgan, if a neighbour's cat comes on to your property then you should trap it and take it to the authorities, never minding that it may be someone's treasured family pet and that the loss may cause grief and distress to the owner.

Certainly a great way to create neighbourhood disputes and reprisals.

Any school that lets this person spread his message of animal hatred to their pupils is unworthy of being called an educational institution. Education should embrace a balanced view of life and of all living creatures.

Gareth Morgan's fixation may indicate an upsetting childhood experience involving a cat, so perhaps it is a personal problem and the obsession with cats merely an outlet for an underlying disturbance.

There are quite a few people who state that they prefer animals to people and, if Mr Morgan is an example of the human race, it is easy to see why.

A recent email summed it up nicely with the quote, "Never trust a man who hates cats!"

- Judith Morgan Maungaturoto

Over the bumps

An accolade for the roading contractors who sealed the formerly bumpy Kamo Rd. It is now such a pleasure to drive on and the road markings were completed quickly, as well. Well done, and thank you.

- Marie Kaire, Ngararatunua, Whangarei

Truck menace

I have written in the past regarding the unrelenting barrage of logging trucks we have through the Mangakahia Valley Rd.

The barrage commences in the early hours of the morning and continues until dusk.

They not only come through in singles but also in convoys of three or four, making it impossible for walkers or bikers to enjoy our previously quiet countryside.

Today I decided to ride a truck-free zone through Kokopu Block Rd and Whatatiri Rd. My pleasure was short-lived, however, as a logging truck came up behind me and pushed me off the road.

It is time that certain roads were made no-go zones for logging trucks, allowing the residents of Mangakahia Rd to walk and ride on adjacent roads in the area without being threatened by a convoy of huge trucks.

- Bill Sanderson, Whangarei

Job well done

Thank you to the Northland Regional Council for its choice of Commissioners for the Proposed Regional Policy Statement. I got the great feeling that they were listening and understanding - even though over the five weeks they have had to listen to a wide range of issues. It's their job, we know, but still, well done.

- Bev Woods, Sec Northland Environment Protection Society