It's both illogical and a travesty of common sense to immediately consider every activity that could increase the wealth and wellbeing of New Zealanders as bad, if it involves an environmental issue.

The public statements made to date against the proposed seabed mining off Waihi Beach are a knee-jerk response and likely to be untrue. The green extremists consider every activity that converts natural resources into prosperity as automatically bad. I'm surprised they condone the existence of farming.

Mining off Waihi Beach is no different to mining the Tauranga Harbour... except we call the harbour activity ‘dredging'.

I would like an informed debate over this issue based on a cost/benefit analysis.

M O'Reilly, Tauranga