Letters: Council should not congratulate itself yet

The closure of the PostShop is at odds with Rotorua Lakes Council's claim that Rotorua is booming, says a reader.

Let's get one thing straight – Reynold Macpherson isn't responsible for the closure of the post office in Rotorua.

Mayor Steve Chadwick and Macpherson are locked in a battle over the direction being taken by the Rotorua Lakes Council, although that would more correctly be stated as the costs involved in the pursuit of a version of the future.

The problem for the council and its boosters is that a lot of its projects, in my view, have yet to yield results.

Having a rejuvenated city is great, but somebody must pay, and the benefits are open to question – as is only proper in a democracy, despite the mayor's condemnation of the media for reporting the concerns.

The council may have been better advised to ease up on the self-congratulatory publicity until outcomes were cemented.

TV3 AM Show is coming to Rotorua and the mayor made an appearance promoting the visit. On air, she brandished the front page of the Rotorua Daily Post heading how Rotorua was booming.

News that NZ Post is shutting down its shop in Rotorua was buried inside but nothing says more about a town/city than the withdrawal of essential services.

Residents and visitors crowding into retail outlets to manage their postal needs will easily be forgiven for wondering how a "booming" city doesn't have its post office.

They might also wonder where the Rotorua Lakes Council was at the time the decision was made to close this essential service.

No awards for guessing.
(Abridged)

Michael Smith
Rotorua

Rates already too high

How on earth can Rotorua Lakes Council justify a rates increase of 5.7 per cent?

Our rates are too high now. The further comment about "justifying further infrastructure" should really read "Chadwick Fantasies" should it not?

We are already paying for "infrastructure" that we neither need nor desire, most of which gets very little use - red painted tracks, cycle paths, toadstools where once a useful Focus stood, green swathes outside the over-sized library (which would have made very useful car parking), fancy new car park meters that confound even the most optimistic user, and other un-useful items around the town that take up too much space to comment on.

I just hope that at the next election of mayor and councillors enough common sense comes to light and we shed forever the crowd of incompetents that now inhabit the town hall.
(Abridged)

Jim Adams
Rotorua

Writers contradicted

Your correspondents (Letters, June 26) are severely contradicted according to a senior economist (Dominick Stephens) referring to the June quarter.

While it is one thing to object to a nomination for an award, it is quite another to be accurate.

In my view, there is little patience for any context in their denunciations.

The CyWays and shops have a context - beyond their view.

We often accuse the young for wanting instant gratification, but these guys are similar.

Stephens observed that the Bay of Plenty region, quarter to quarter, has enjoyed a 47 per cent increase. That bucks the national trend and says good things about Rotorua.

What's not to like?

Mike Byrne
Rotorua