OVER TO YOU

Anyone wishing to make a complaint to the New Zealand Press Council should first put it in writing to the editor. If not satisfied with the reply, complainants should then write to The Secretary, NZ Press Council, Box 10 879, Wellington, including a clipping of the disputed article and copies of the correspondence.

Letters are welcome, but writers must provide their name, address and telephone number as a sign of good faith – pseudonyms are not acceptable. So that as many letters as possible can be published, each letter should be no more than 250 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, sense, legal reasons and on grounds of good taste. Please send your letters to: The Editor, Taranaki Daily News

PO Box 444 New Plymouth 4340; or fax on (06) 7586849; or email to editor@dailynews.co.nz.

Ask yourself this

I’ve lived next to the coastal reserve for 40 years. I don’t play golf and I won’t be affected by council’s proposal to sell off half the Fitzroy Golf Course to fund ‘‘special projects’’. That said, I suggest all residents look around their own neighbourhoods for the nearest public reserve and ask yourselves ‘‘Would I want this sold for housing?’’ along the Huatoki, Te Henui, Waiwhakaiho, Brooklands, Barret Lagoon, Lake Mangamahoe, etc.

There is lots of reserve land in this city that could be sold off for short term gain much more easily than the golf course. But aren’t public reserves held in trust for our children’s children and won’t the council still have to face the same hard questions like funding the Waitara walkway or the rugby stadium’s repair in any event? Budgeting is always a balancing act.

I’ve spent a half century as a planner dealing with similar matters in many parts of the world. Selling public land is not a new idea, and is usually spearheaded by private land developers.

I have no idea whether there is a developer behind the council’s current efforts, but from my experience it is certainly possible. In one American city where I was a planner, the mayor and the city’s largest land developer actually went into business together while in office.

I can only hope that such ‘‘bottom line’’ politics have not caught up with this council at the expense of New Plymouth’s internationally praised way of life. Ted Wells

New Plymouth

A cross word complaint

I have a very CROSSWORD with you guys this morning! No Saturday usual crosswords but just a page of other trivial stuff! I eventually got through to Daily News after several tries (probably lots of other cross-word customers were trying to ring to complain too) and I spoke to a man who promised to pass on my discontent. This morning (I eventually found my paper hidden in the bushes) I find no apology and a blithe ‘Saturday’s Solutions’ as if nothing was amiss! Where are Friday’s solutions, where are Saturday’s puzzles and where are the apologies?

Sheila Connell

New Plymouth

Editor’s note: Fair call Sheila. You have my sincere apologies for Saturday’s puzzle page muck-up. Copies of the correct puzzle page are available from our Currie St office or a digital version can be requested by emailing editor@dailynews.co.nz.

A sporting issue

It’s unfair of W.G. Johnston to attribute the poor crowds at the Ford Trophy (final) cricket games at Pukekura Park to a lack of coverage in the TDN. Yes, in an ideal world (with more resources) the TDN may have been able to preview and cover the aforementioned matches. However, the onus is first and foremost on the sporting code to promote their sport and matches.

Sports reporting has morphed in recent years. People can now access the results from Facebook pages. Consequently, the paper does not need to be a compendium of sporting results and trivia. In my opinion, there seems to be an increasing demand for issues orientated sport journalism, rather than (formulaic) match reporting. And the TDN is adapting to these trends. I acknowledge that the TDN ‘‘Community Sports Page’’ will never equal the coverage of professional reporters.

But it still gives sports groups a medium to showcase themselves. There is also an opportunity for budding wordsmiths to learn how to write journalistically, with Grant Hassall being an outstanding example. We can’t remain in a time warp. Sporting clubs must make better use of social media - plus rethink how best to engage with our provincial newspaper.

Bryan Vickery

New Plymouth

Simply the worst

I’ve been in your country for near five years and seen the worst driving ever, and that includes Hong Kong where I was stationed serving with the British army. I’ve driven all over Europe and they say the French are bad drivers. New Zealanders beat them hands down. The worst of drivers must be between New Plymouth and Waitara. Mostly young people driving high powered cars that I couldn’t afford to insure as well as running one. Young girls are among the worst and the lack of cameras or police is alarming. If they do break the law the penalties are laughable. All these young lives lost for a couldn’t-give-a-stuff attitude by the government. Frank Connor

Bell Block