Letters: Don't turn us into a mini Auckland

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick at the launch of the Love, Life. Live Rotorua campaign. PHOTO/FILE

The post mortem of the election is hardly behind us, but already the council's spending machine is again in full swing. This time they are spending $200,000 trying to entice Aucklanders to move to Rotorua.

Why turn our cute little city into another mini Auckland with its traffic congestion? Parking here is already bad enough. It is certainly not in the interest of our tourism industry, in my view.

Is our council unaware of our serious housing shortage? Perhaps the mayor wants to prop them onto the many empty shops she promised to fill at the previous election. Is the council unaware of the unemployment we have already?

The above $200,000 is only for the first year. No doubt many voters were hoping to get a more prudent council getting us to some extent out of the red. I read that this scheme targets families of 'mid-high socio-economic status'. Is the mayor doing the vetting I wonder? I don't think many citizens will be impressed. I am not.

HARRY BRASSER
Rotorua

Suicide is one of the most terrible things to have happen; when it happens in the family it is devastating; it is happening all too often in our beautiful country.

I am not an expert - not even a student, but I have looked carefully at the statistics and the underlying cause and effect which has led me to one or two possible conclusions.

A lack of self esteem - of one's own worth- could be an underlying cause; if I am right then there is a factor that may just help. Unemployment - the lack of one's ability to show what one is made of- could be a contributor to this.

I was fortunate enough to have spent time with the Boy Scouts and later the Army Cadets - both these contribute to finding a way to bring out the best abilities - to show up weaknesses, and to teach companionship. It taught me to communicate with my fellows, to talk to people about things that troubled me and ultimately to find a way around them.

Perhaps, just perhaps, bringing more emphasis on Scouts/Cadets, and later conscription - with less emphasis on performance than on ability, may help to change things?

JIM ADAMS
Rotorua

Great to have Kmart finally coming to our city. Pity it wasn't allocated in town, would have been great for the CBD.

JOANNE KILMORE
Rotorua