Community board

Dominic Morris’ focus on the $5.6 million a year (or $56m over a decade) lost to pokie machines in Tokoroa’s CBD would be better.

Only $300,000 a year comes back in charitable grants. A loss of $5m.

The council, as with the R18 shop, swallows central government status quo on gambling and synthetic highs, and trashes the community because CEOs know no better and the council has no leadership from the mayor.

It is not the farmers market population the CBD needs but rather the community needs a Tokoroa Community Board to act as a TANG.

The council is run from Putaruru with Cr Van Roijen and Mayor Sinclair as longstanding rural advocates. Urban concerns are missed.

Neither entertain a TCB. So until TCB members stand up for themselves and organise the TCB, Tokoroa young are seen as not having a vote.

Please six councillors unite behind TCB and give Tokoroa a real voice and return the town to a thinking progressive place again.

Use all of the $26m SWIF for Tirau, Putaruru and Tokoroa to have community board set ups that work on behalf of young people (central government takes care of the old) trained in governance and management.

Unless an alternative is suggested for the community then we will have nothing to go on. TCB.kiwi domain name needs to be registered.

Anyone can take the lead and inform us by a letter to the editor and set up a blog at TCB.kiwi.

R Young responsible dog owners always get the tougher rules – even though it’s not even through our own dogs – with dog registration approaching for another year I and I’m sure others would agree that responsible dog owners who have had the Good Owner Policy for years should only have to pay for one year’s registration for the continued life of our dog/dogs especially with no problems with our dogs. Registration always paid etc, etc.

It’s time responsible dog owners were rewarded, not punished.

Are we always going to have to continue paying for others?

Susan Petersen