Re: ‘We don't want Auckland's refugees' (The Weekend Sun, December 30). R Paterson's letter came across as being quite ‘unchristianly' at this time of the year. I read, and hear quite a lot of moaning and groaning about Aucklanders coming down to the Bay of Plenty and all of the resultant problems increasing population brings into areas. Please spend a brief minute and look at the wider picture; a huge number of Aucklanders who have moved here have done so because they in turn are more all less being forced out of their Auckland suburbs. Try living in a neighbourhood, where you have lived for many years, and suddenly not just streets but whole suburbs are now Asian and no one speaks English. All the shops are Asian and it is extremely hard to find anything written in English. The huge increase in numbers of immigrants in Auckland is absolutely nothing the BOP is facing and these massive increases in population has placed all of Auckland's infrastructure in turmoil - roads, Police, hospitals, schools, etc are struggling. So please try not to have such a ‘blinkered' approach and look at all sides of the problem.

C Barrett, Papamoa Beach.