After reading the two-page spread in The Weekend Sun from Tauranga City Council I am of the impression that said council think that by giving an area a long Maori name, then throw in some green space and the obligatory ivory tower to hold the mirage of bureaucrats that us ratepayers are forced to support, that in turn the masses will come flooding into town.

The question I have is what are these masses going to do when they actually get into town? Because said council has managed to close down more than 160 retail stores – so there’ll be very little in the way of shopping to do that’s for sure.

Still, as they say in the promotional blurb, via the Masonic Park upgrade you will now be able to contemplate your navel while connecting to the new civic precinct Te Manawataki O Te Papa and the Tauranga Moana waterfront. Why does the term ‘White Elephant’ resonate with me so much?

Brian Brown, Pyes Pā.