Letters to the editor: Rotorua a dumping ground for other towns' homeless

A reader does not want out-of-town homeless people in Rotorua. Photo / Felix Desmarais

Rotorua has become a dump

What a dump Rotorua has become — a dumping ground for other towns' homeless people.

I'd accept our homeless but do not accept them from other towns due to the knock-on effect on Rotorua.

There is the proposal to turn local reserves into affordable housing and this has an effect on suburbs bordering current places homeless are housed.

We've just been away to Hamilton, Taupo, Napier, Whakatane and Tauranga where there seems to be more reserves and vibrancy.

Tauranga's The Lakes, on the Pyes Pa Rd, shows what can be done with lots of play areas, reserves, lakes, walkways, cycleways and plantings — very pleasant.

Rotorua seems to have come to a standstill.

Driving back into Rotorua, there appears to be a lot of underused land covered in gorse, weeds and blackberries.

Could this be used for additional housing with walkways, reserves and shops as part of an overall plan?

Jessica Pickering
Rotorua

Every little bit helps

My neighbour and I are in our late 60s and most Thursdays we pick up roadside rubbish on State Highway 34.

Last Thursday, we picked up 310kg of rubbish and delivered it to Kawerau transfer station.

We aren't responsible for the rubbish but if we don't pick it up we are responsible for leaving it there.

We have the time so we hook the trailer on, put on hi-vis and off we go.

I don't understand why some people throw rubbish out, so we just pick it up.

It's nothing special, we just do it because we can.

We live in a beautiful part of the world and every day I appreciate getting up and giving back to our area when I can.

If the thinking is, "I didn't put it there, it's not my job, it's another person's job and I don't have to do it", then the rubbish stays on the roadside.

May I suggest, to people who like walking or bike riding, take a little bag, pick up the rubbish and help keep our beautiful area clean and litter-free.

It's not a big thing - but it does make a difference.

Well done to the many people who do this already. Keep up the good work.

John Rosanowski
Kawerau

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