Letters to the editor: Democracy is dead and buried in Rotorua

Te Tatau o Te Arawa chairman Taru White (centre) in the public gallery at last Friday's Rotorua Lakes Council meeting for Maori wards. Photo / Ben Fraser

In my opinion, last Friday marked the end of democracy in Rotorua.

Six years ago, Rotorua Lakes Council kicked democracy out the back door and implemented a change in governance whereby Māori representatives were appointed by Te Arawa to the council table.

Democracy was well and truly buried with the decision to have Māori wards.

Sure, the Government has influenced the democracy issue with what, in my view, was its racist decision to eliminate the safeguard criteria of the 5 per cent rule.

The definition of democracy is quite clear - all citizens are equal under the law.

No one may be discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity group, or gender.

Roll on the representation review.

Mike Mcvicker
Rotorua

Where there's smoke

Finance Minister Grant Robertson's Budget has been compared to Ruth Richardson's Mother of all Budgets.

I would tend to call it the Smoke Budget, for a number of reasons.

The Government is using "smoke and mirrors" on how it portrays its hundred billion dollars or so of debt as being below forecast budget, to make it seem not too bad.

But there's no smoke without fire.

Taxpayer money is again going up in smoke as it is being siphoned off to those who don't work.

Tracey McLeod
Lake Tarawera

Train more police

The Government must open our police college and start training the men and women who are waiting to join the police.

Why the Government stopped training new police is beyond belief.

Although we are blessed in this country with the quality of our police who keep us safe, they are under serious pressure.

With crime increasing, gang numbers climbing, domestic violence not dropping, antisocial challenges among our young; road safety disasters on our poor roads, the destructive drug problems destroying the lives of too many and our way of life, we need our police.

We should all be protesting and demanding the Government ensure our police force is funded properly.

Training new police should be a high priority.

Margaret Murray-Benge
Tauranga

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