ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff
National Māori Authority Chair Matthew Tūkākī. “I would argue strongly there needs to be a whakapapa project as well and by that I mean linking those people from back then to their whānau today so their whānau can go back and connect with these people,” he says. Tūkākī says he has sat at the grave sites at Tokanui Cemetery and has sensed the discomfort for those lying there “still lost but not found”. Tokanui Hospital was built on Māori land taken under the Public Works Act in 1910 and was one of New Zealand’s largest psychiatric institutions by the 1960s.
Letters to the Editor: What have anti-smacking laws achieved?
13 May, 2021 08:00 PM
3 minutes to read
Sparing the rod has spoiled the children, says one reader. Photo / Getty Images
Rotorua Daily Post
In 1990, New Zealand legislated the outlawing of corporal punishment in schools.
Then in 2007, we saw the ushering in of the controversial anti-smacking laws, which even today, some 14 years later, provoke vigorous discussion.
We were assured both times that these measures would reduce violence in society as we were tackling these issues at the very grassroots, protecting children from both the physical and mental trauma supposedly associated with smacking as a disciplinary measure.
Letters to the editor: Need to step up the fight against drug dealers
13 May, 2021 08:00 PM
3 minutes to read
A reader says new figures on kids and drugs were grim reading. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey
Bay of Plenty Times
Nationwide figures showed how desperate the problem is. We can t blame the government, police or social services. No, the parents of the younger offenders need to step up and take responsibility for instilling moral standards on their children.
They need boundaries from birth. Even former drug kingpin Billy Macfarlane stated that cannabis use by children is a big problem.
Obviously, the numbers in the article are only the ones who have been caught, the real figures are probably double.
Robyn Edie/Stuff
Miriam and Ivan van de Water have sold their business, van de Water Jewellers, in Gore and plan to retire to Wanaka in June.
Buying diamonds in Belgium has always been looked forward to by Ivan van de Water. He and wife Miriam are in their 38th year of owning van de Water Jewellers in Gore, but their time in the business is coming to an end as they have sold it. The van der Waters are retiring to Wanaka and have sold the business to Megan and Brad Lamb who have recently moved from Tokanui to Gore. The Lambs take possession on June 1.