Letters: Council needs to pay down debt, fund museum

Te Manawa (City Focus) when it opened to vehicle traffic in October 2017. Photo / File

So the council is spending $40 million of ratepayer and taxpayer money changing the Lakefront from a family/tourist friendly place where locals spend time with their kids, to a paddock with a bridge.

This is a totally unnecessary spend and reiterates the incompetent decisions of this council.

They've spent $1.2 million changing the City Focus to ... another City Focus. What benefits has that brought to Rotorua? Nothing, financially or tourism-wise.

The cycleway through town is another big dollar spend and no one uses it, they still ride on the footpath.

Yet the council has gone ahead and spent more money widening footpaths for bikes on Ranolf, Sophia, Old Taupo, Springfield and Gordon roads - which again, I've never seen a bike on.

And yet, they can't seem to find the money to fix the museum, which does bring tourists and tourist dollars into the town. Even after they increased the rates a couple of per cent, I understand, specifically for this. Incompetence.

How about they start paying the airport loan off and save ratepayers paying the interest payments for it?

The council is up to its eyeballs in debt, but still plans on borrowing millions more over the next four years. Incompetence. They will be hammering up our rates to cover this.

How about paying off some of this debt before borrowing more, and stop the continual rates raises. We ratepayers don't get the generous pay increases the councillors do, and think they are entitled to.

(Abridged)

Chris Muir
Pukehangi

Children learn through mistakes

Great article from David Beck: "Kids need to know there are winners and losers" (Opinion, January 23).

If kids don't need to "even try" to win, then where's the point of even being in a team?

Some people have this strange idea that "failure" will mentally harm them. Well, what happens when they start work? Do they think they will start at the top?

Everyone has to learn team skills and social skills. That's life and on the way, if you lose in some way, either in competition or friends, then that's how life works. They need to get on with it.

It's like some people thinking everyone should get a prize or certificate, win or lose? Why?

If you've worked hard and the teamwork has been strong and won, then you're the ones who deserve the prize.

The other team have to try harder next time. This is what work is all about. You work for it and get there in the end.

If you're not going to work harder, then you don't deserve the outcome.

Same as birthday parties. Why do some people think everyone has to have a present? Is it their birthday?

Their time will come when it is their special day.

Don't be adults who think, "Oh poor baby, he/she's sad. They need a reward." Too bad. Toughen up and let children learn through mistakes, loss or waiting a turn.

That's life!

Viv Radley
Rotorua

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