Funding for historic hall the next step
It was wonderful to see Porirua’s popular Waitangi Day event hitting the headlines in Friday’s Dominion Post. The Porirua City Council’s grants, awards and events sub-committee has agreed to finance this annual Waitangi Day celebration, so keeping this popular Day Out alive and well for us all to continue enjoying. Well done, Porirua City Council.
Here’s hoping the next item on the sub-committee’s agenda is a plan to consider funding for a Porirua historic gem, The US Marines’ World War 2 Community Hall in Titahi Bay, used by the US Marines while defending New Zealand from an expected enemy invasion during World War II. This historic building is the last of its kind in New Zealand and has a category 2 heritage listing.
During the 1991 run of the WWII musical Somewhere Over There, the Porirua Little Theatre received a congratulatory letter from the Queen Mother, acknowledging the work by the theatre members to entertain and raise funds for the hall.
The building has now been closed by its owner, the Porirua City Council, due to poor maintenance and continuing deterioration.
If the Queen Mother, in far off London, could find time to note the work being done by the local Porirua/Titahi Bay community to save their hall, it is hoped the slightly closer Porirua City Council’s grants, awards and events sub-committee can agree to provide funds for the repair and restoration of the historic US Marine’sWW2 Titahi Bay Community Hall.
Rose Hudson
Karori
GANG FIGHTING
The recent initiative taken by gangs in Whangarei might be more important than appears at first sight.
While there will likely be widespread cynicism, I was struck by how a group of marginalised men seemed to be publicly acknowledging that something has gone terribly wrong in their lives, that their response is no longer sustainable and who, as their own solution, have met under the same roof.
Fighting is not my style, but then I have not had to survive that which they have had to experience. Cautious support might be helpful.
John Little
Porirua
PAYING THEIR SHARE
There has been lots of righteous indignation that large multinationals such as Google and Amazon are not paying us enough (if anything) in tax, but hardly a whimper that the large profitable Maori trusts such as Tainui, with billions in assets, are not required to pay their share either.
This must mean that agreed Treaty settlements are not really ‘‘settlements’’ at all, as by not paying their share of tax, Maori tribes continue to receive a subsidy/settlement courtesy of the taxpayers in perpetuity. I doubt this is taken into account during negotiations.
Pete Jenkins
Whitby
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