Letters: Nurses and teachers deserve more pay

Nurses and teachers are the backbones of any society, yet the Government say they haven't enough money to give these people, who we cannot do without, a decent wage.

Their hours are long, arduous and not without bullying and violence.

Teachers give up a lot of their own time, even through holidays, to give children a brighter future.

Nurses spend extra hours needed in wards with not enough staff.

Without teachers and nurses, children and people needing medical care would have to stay at home which would mean one parent or adult would need to be there too; most homes now need two working adults to pay mortgages, bills, food etc. What would happen then?

We cannot do without the "workforce" of the country! The Government seem to be throwing millions around since they have been in office so they need to look in their own backyard and give it to people who really matter - special people: teachers and nurses!

Viv Radley
Rotorua

A reader [Monday 18 June] was disappointed about a "decision" regarding proposed changes to rules regulating short-term rental accommodation in Rotorua. This followed Rotorua Daily Post's coverage of a hearing on a proposed district plan.

Detail regarding the process were not included in the article. The process is ongoing. The hearing presided over by the council's Resource Management Act (RMA) Policy Committee followed public notification of the plan change and the RMA Committee will now make recommendations to the full council for its consideration and a final decision.

Nine submissions were received in response to the proposal going out to public consultation. People can find out more by going to the council's online consultation platform rotorualakescouncil.nz/letstalk.

Henry Weston
Operational Group Manager
Rotorua Lakes Council

As the country celebrates National Volunteer Awareness Week (June 17 to 23), I would like to thank all Rotorua Heart Foundation volunteers who work so hard to support our mission to stop New Zealanders dying prematurely of New Zealand's single biggest killer, heart disease.

Their efforts also help many of the 186,000 New Zealanders with heart disease live a full and productive life.

As a charity, the Heart Foundation relies on our people, who give so generously of their time across many areas such as helping at community events, special projects, collecting and co-ordinating during our Big Heart Appeal, sharing stories and administration support.

I would like to acknowledge that everything our volunteers do, every hour they volunteer, any campaign they support, or each time they share their story, makes a difference to people with heart disease and their whānau.

Natalie Richards
Heart health advocate
Rotorua