A recent letter to the editor from Howick Town Crier Jim Donald and posted to our Facebook page on September 8 (‘Māori naming of community assets’) has so far received more than 100 comments. Here’s a selection of the most thoughtful and interesting ones:
- Storm Ross
I am from South Africa and I love the Māori culture. I don’t understand why you would want to waste so much money to change the names to English. Te reo Māori will live on. It is important to keep it, alive it strengthens relationships between cultures, that is why my motto for my YouTube channel is Kia Kaha, Stay Strong.
- Deborah Hemmingson
How much is it costing the ratepayer??? I bet my first born, if the financial cost was made public, a figure per household, you would have no choice (as not to do it). Another nice to have, vanity project. As Luxon said, “stick to the basics & do them very, very well”. We lose rubbish bins but gain Māori signage!!! Last time I looked, that never helped with all the fly tipping in east Auckland (it’s s*** and only getting worse). Use our money wisely or get out. That’s what I think.
- Jackie Liddell
Before anything the costs need to come first. The country is broke and becoming Third World more than ever. It all comes down to the taxpayers again. Red, white, yellow, and any in-betweens who have had enough of our money going nowhere with the last Government and now this. We are a multi-cultural country, whether folks like it or not. Time to go forward not backward in re-naming which costs, just in case these dreamers think of anything else.
