OVER TO YOU

Regional support Our share of $1 billion to the regions is potentially worth $70+ million per year to Taranaki. Personally I think our strategy around what Taranaki could use this money for is not well thought out. But first I would like to also point out that our strategic development group that we have is in my opinion named the wrong way round if we want buy in from the majority of the public as they use the Te Reo version (Tapuae Roa) before the English version (Make Way Taranaki) and I feel it should be the other way around as English is the most used language, and I did question this eight weeks ago and was told it was a mistake, but they are still putting the Maori version first... Why??

And if this group thinks that this money is best spent on car parks and walkways that are all free to use that don’t directly produce returns then we are just going down the same path (excuse the pun) as we always have by just developing tourist based liabilities rather than tourist and commercial based money producing assets. My idea would be to develop our coastal facilities such as a dock for visiting cruise ships separate from the commercial port area, development of a blue highway to keep freight off our highways and also development of a modern Marina as part of all this. Just one of the above would produce more direct money into our region than extending the infrastructure of our walkways, so just imagine if we developed all three of these ideas at our port. We are a coastal city and now have access to the money. Murray Chong

NPDC councillor and NZ First candidate

Spending already

The new government is sworn in, and already the excessive spending has started, with 31 ministers compared to the last lot’s 21 means a salary increase of $1,280,000 per annum, as well as 10 more ministerial cars, complete with drivers (although the Greens may opt for push bikes). Stand by for tax increases.

Rod Ardern

New Plymouth.

Rankings shock

Lonely Planet has named its top countries, cities and regions for 2018. NZ was ranked fifth best country, but did not feature in the top cities or regions to visit. I went to university in Canberra so I’m shocked it’s rated the third ‘‘must see’’ city , as I found it boring. Given the vagaries of these rankings, the NPDC acted wisely when it speedily allocated an extra $350,000 (last year) so Venture Taranaki could take advantage of the international publicity opportunities when Taranaki was named the second best region in the world by Lonely Planet. When it comes to strategic marketing, opportunistic speed is crucial. It’s also great the welcome signs to NP (mentioning the Lonely Planet rating) went up post-haste.

The latest statistics show that the visitor industry in Taranaki employs 2,640 people and generates $110m towards GDP. And visitor expenditure has grown from $291m in 2009 to $335m in 2016. So given the low base, there is enormous potential for this sector to take off. And that’s why I am excited about the proposed Taranaki Crossing and (Tapuae Roa) Make Way For Taranaki Strategy.

Bryan Vickery

New Plymouth

Speak out

A growing number of women are now coming forward and sharing their alleged sexual assault and harassment experiences at the hands of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. In New Zealand, some of our local female media personalities have done the same regarding men in their lives who they allege committed similar offences against them. Cue international social justice fauxoutrage and the media running a digital version of the Salem witch trials against men.

But here’s the thing. Whilst Weinstein and men like him deserve to be held to account for their actions, no-one has asked why the women now complaining about these actions decided to stay silent as a way to act in their own self interest regarding their respective careers. In story after story, a women’s personal principles gave way to cash, in one form or another. I’m not convinced that every woman who has made a complaint regarding this issue has never traded her sexuality for success, otherwise the entertainment and media field must be a puritan environment indeed. Perhaps a little more emphasis on female selfresponsibility may be in order regarding this issue, as opposed to the ‘‘all women virtuous, all men rapists’’ narrative that seems to be developing in this awful saga. Dylan Tipene

Auckland