Te Ururoa Flavell's laments about Maori losses from dredging Tauranga Harbour (SunLive 4 May) are at best biased. The harbour is for everyone's benefit and improving shipping access has clear advantages for everyone, including Maori.
His slant that everything must be considered from the viewpoint of one ethnic group is, IMHO wrong, we are all New Zealanders and improving facilities in the BOP benefits everyone.
A second point, I attended the recent POT dredging application hearings at Mt Maunganui and Maori were well represented there. The expert consultants employed by POT were 'grilled” about the effects of deepening the channel. Their evaluation is that dredgings will bring benefits in two ways. The dredged sand (from the harbour) is rich in shellfish and will be deposited in a planned discharge pattern offshore along the beach further improving the abundance of shellfish already there and second, the deepened channel will slow the rate of sand erosion along the channel at Matakana Island and have little or no effect on the upper harbour areas. Actually the dredging will improve the harbour for both business and the residents.
It's a pity that Mr Flavell can't give credit where credit is due and realise that developments implemented by New Zealanders can and do benefit Maori as well. Rather than him adopt a 'them and us” approach.
Max Lewis, Mt Maunganui.