Tauranga City Council is currently conducting a survey seeking suggestions as to future plans for the Mount, or Mauao.

Access to the Mount must be free to all walkers in perpetuity and not be obstructed by ulterior prejudices and monetary motives.

However, the Mount could be improved by allowing limited commercialisation. Increasingly, mobility restricted folk are very disappointed by not having the ability to enjoy the panoramic views from atop the Mount.

Tourists complain that it's a shame there is not ready access to the top of the Mount for all folk, not just the athletically capable.

In my global travels, a promontory such as the Mount would have provision for access to the top either by cable car, funicular rail or 4x4 vehicle.

Even our near neighbour Rotorua capitalises on its hilltop endowment, likewise with the Queenstown gondola, Wellington Cable Car and the Christchurch Porthills gondola.

Maybe it is timely that progressive thinking prevails and not be shackled by overpandering to archaic beliefs and cultural sensitivities.

There would undoubtedly be a financial profit from such a venture for any commercial operator – and if Maori interests want to fulfil that role, then all well and good.

T Fellingham, Oropi