Defaced signs show why we need festival
Political debates can stray from being about ideas and issues to being about people.
The defacing of the Tauranga Moana Pride Signs at the Racecourse and Welcome Bay (reported in the Bay of Plenty Times on March 6) is a reminder of why we need a Pride Festival in Tauranga Moana.
With such overwhelming support for the festival from many businesses and organisations in our community it is easy to ask ourselves whether we need such an event that celebrates the rainbow community in this day and age.
Yet the defacing of these signs with the slogan “God resists the proud” are a reminder of the latent homophobia that still festers in some corners of our society and in our community right here in Tauranga Moana.
I want to call on all the faith communities in Tauranga Moana to examine how this could have happened.
How could God be used to denigrate? Is this your god? If it isn’t, then shout that from your pulpits so there can be no misunderstanding about the views you hold.
If your faith community holds these views, then shame on you. You are proselytising a message of intolerance and hate.
Let’s not let bigotry fester in our community.
Stand with our rainbow community in embracing, accepting and celebrating the richness that diversity brings to our community.
Helen Alice Tauranga
Plastic mountain
How impressive - 165,000 new plastic bins for Tauranga City rubbish.
With a core objective of waste minimisation, it seems absolutely contradictory that scant attention seems to have been paid to the fate of these existing service bins as to whether they are to be reused, recycled or just more landfill. Whilst waste reduction is applauded, surely a new plan in its completeness could have responsibly accommodated the existing 60,000 or so bins rather than generating yet another plastic mountain or a 20,000-year life landfill.
No information seems forthcoming to me, yet our planet suffers this degradation.
Jos Nagels Brookfield
Over the past century, wealth disparity has fallen significantly in most liberal democracies.
However, in recent decades, and especially since the global financial crisis, wealth and income concentration among the so-called 1 per cent appears to have increased.
That change in trend has attracted attention from activists and politicians interested in greater equality.
Phillip Vermeulen is a senior lecturer and economist at AUT and consulted on the Treasury work.
He described wealth distribution as “one measure” for understanding equality but said that “it may have overshot its usefulness” in informing public policy. Vermeulen cited income inequality, equality of opportunity and equality of consumption as other pertinent measures.
Vermeulen also pointed out that it is useful to understand wealth distribution in the context of age, since wealth is often accumulated in mid-life when incomes are highest, and spent down in retirement when income is low.
None of the data considered by Treasury took in the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. New HES wealth data will be published early next year.
Kiwi boxer Joseph Parker was named yesterday as the sports star police allege is linked to a major international drug importation and supply conspiracy.
He has not been charged in relation to the case.
The former heavyweight champion fought to keep his name secret at several hearings in the High Court and Court of Appeal during the past two years.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court ended Parker’s bid for secrecy after ordering his name suppression to expire.
The 29-year-old, who held the WBO heavyweight title from 2016 to 2018, wanted to keep his identity hidden after prosecutors named him during the High Court trial of Tevita Fangupo, Tevita Kulu and Toni Finau in 2019. Despite not being charged, the Crown alleged Parker played a role in the importation of methamphetamine by transporting and changing currency.
Yesterday, Parker broke his silence, speaking of the “stress and worry” of his name-suppression case and maintaining he has never been involved with methamphetamine or the importation of drugs.
“It’s caused a lot of stress and worry for myself and my family — and it just seems totally wrong.
“Having said that, I need to accept the decision and get on with my life. I have other fights to fight.”
Parker is in the UK, having flown out last weekend to start preparations for his expected next bout, against Derek Chisora, possibly in early May. Parker beat fellow Kiwi Junior Fa at Spark Arena earlier this month.