Letters: Post offices need fresh marketing scheme

Both the local bus service and the post offices have tried to alleviate losses by increasing prices and decreasing services.

Surely a marketing ploy would be to reverse this policy. I recently found an old pack of 45 cent stamps.

It will now take me three of these to post a letter. Why not drop the cost of postage and encourage people to write to each other and send cards again.

If postage was reasonable children could be taught to write to Grandma, using their literacy and handwriting skills and generating a lot of happiness for the elderly. If cards were a reasonable price a lot more would be sold.

I know Skype, texting and Facebook are much quicker and easier, but they are nothing like the joy of receiving a letter in the mail. Very few people send Christmas Cards any more – they cost too much.

The post hubs in local areas work well and should be utilised. Both the Ngongotahā and Malfroy Rd Post Shops have been excellent for years. Perhaps their location should be advertised more widely.

As the posties cycle around, they could collect mail from households as is done in rural areas. Although payments are increasingly done by direct credit and credit card, many more purchases are done online, and the post office should be competing for the delivery of these purchases. Are all these marketing ideas just too hard?

Marie Booth
Rotorua

Prudent spending

I'm not sure what this council is thinking. Spending all the ratepayers' money on the Lakefront for the benefit of a few.

It's perfectly fine as it is with perhaps a cosmetic touch up. There's plenty of parking and plenty of tourists enjoying it.

Surely the repairs to the museum and the reopenIng of this lovely building would be top of any sane council's list. Likewise the civic centre that benefits all locals in one way or other.

Could this not be put to a vote before spending our hard-earned cash on another "top shelf" idea? Rotorua is not a wealthy city, please spend our hard-earned money wisely for the good of us all.

Lesley Campbell
Rotorua

Respect is earned

Personally I have no problems with police officers wearing a moko kauae except to say that my respect has to be individually earned and not just given because someone is wearing a moko kauae.

Lots of inter-racial gang members wear facial tattoos as did my European/Viking ancestors. Respect in my books has to be earned before it is individually given - not just given because a wearer has a facial moko.

Wearers of cultural facial tattoos should be aware of this and not be offended when members of today's diverse cultural society do not respect this cultural practice.

Respect is earned not just given because one wears their culture on their face. Best of luck to the police officer wearing a moko kauae on her life's journey: it may not be an easy one.

Joseph J Gielen
Rotorua

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