Letters: Council should be proud of CBD efforts

City Focus. Photo/File

In regard to the Street View question (Rotorua Daily Post, April 12) 'Is the Rotorua CBD looking good?' My answer is a resounding yes - but I'm looking forward to seeing more.

Over the last few years I think there has been some great aesthetic work done in the CBD to really help showcase Rotorua's uniqueness. The bench seating and the chunky log bike racks are a real feature, along with the trout plates on the pavement. These help to showcase this beautiful town of ours.

The City Focus is still looking a little bare after the sails were taken down (the Sunday Markets are an exception of course) but I saw the development plans for the area in an earlier edition of this paper and they look quite positive.

I've also heard tourists complimenting the beautiful wooden sculptures in our town. And of course the obligatory selfie taking that goes with it.

I know there have been a number of naysayers in both written and social media in regard to the development work on the CBD recently, but I think we should give the council a chance to complete their vision, and let the public critique it from there.

The council should be proud of their efforts to date and we should give credit where it's due.

ROB TANE
Rotorua

As a citizen and ratepayer I am dumb-founded by what the council is doing to our City Focus, and the cost ('CBD works clash with games', Rotorua Daily Post April 7).

When the matter of revamping the City Focus first came up I wrote suggesting it be converted into a simple, slow, one-lane, pedestrian-friendly, vehicular roundabout.

This would connect the frustratingly separated portions of Tutanekai St and Hinemoa St, and also allow its retention as a valuable private and public meeting place, complete with protective sail and poles.

Now that the police and information centre is removed, it would simply be a matter of modifying some curbing and paving to accomplish this conversion.

While I am no expert in the cost of public works, I do have difficulty in imagining this costing more than a few $10,000's, not the $1.36 million the council is about to lumber us ratepayers with.

DAVID PREEST
Rotorua

Like Maori TV and the New Zealand Herald, Wairangi Jones (Letters, April 11) fails to acknowledge the point of my blog post that included reference to Maori culture focusing on the primitive.

The post shared the experience of a young trainee teacher unwanted by our education system because he refused to indoctrinate New Zealand children (now officially called 'akonga') with the non-existent virtues of ferocity, in order to honour a non-existent partnership containing non-existent principles.

The photo of the gesticulating kapa haka group had been sent to me as typical of the point he was making that ferocity is an ever-present part of Maori culture.

I told Maori TV I was sorry if the group was offended. They reported that bit, but ignored my larger point that teachers in this peaceful country are banned from the classroom by the state unless they agree to promote intimidatory behaviour cherished by one culture, to children of all cultures.

In the words of the anti-violence campaign largely directed at Maori, that's not okay.

As for Susan Devoy, she should stick to squashing rubber balls, not legitimate criticism.

JOHN ANSELL
Martinborough

At the times of severe traffic back up coming into town there is a quick fix that I think worth trying.

Put a temporary 'no right turn' sign on the roundabout coming out of town and so force Lynmore and Tarawera Rd bound traffic to turn right at the lights into Iles Rd instead.

At such times, a policeman could also control any Vaughan Rd traffic exiting onto the roundabout.

MARK COLLET
Rotorua

Re: 'Honeymooning couple robbed while in Rotorua' (Rotorua Daily Post, April 12).

How about we let the police get on with their vital jobs and we carry on with our own work and stop crying about the feelings of one couple visiting New Zealand. The NZ Police have the toughest job around and are understaffed, underpaid, and now we are under supporting them.

Your article regarding the Indian couple, who had their wallet and passport stolen is sad but to go and write about our police force like that is just as bad.

If the police say that they are having a busy day and there are more important emergencies at the moment, then there is! Don't go jumping on the bandwagon just because something didn't happen as fast and the way it was expected. This is real life buddy.

How about we see more positive stories that promote our police force than this type of undesirable article. The good stories are out there so go find them.

HAYDEN WHITEHEAD
Rotorua

On March 25 an Indian couple had their car broken into while on their honeymoon here in Rotorua. Hement Manglani and his wife lost their phones, passports, and other valuables. The couple rang the police three times but got the same answer 'we have a busy day dealing with more important crimes. Someone will attend when they are free'.

Mr Manglani stated "We have been financially put back about $20,000 including cash, tangible assets, expenses and losses. We are emotionally scarred for life and this incident has set us in a fear of travel and injustice."

Being a resident of Rotorua I don't like the sound of what Mr Manglani and his wife have been through. It is quite disheartening to know that there are people out there committing these crimes against tourists.

I do understand that the police are busy with bigger crimes but I think smaller crimes also have a big impact, not only on people's lives but on the tourist economy. More attention is needed by police in patrolling the streets and trying to keep the youth out of trouble.

JEROME PERRY
Rotorua