I, like many others, am sick and tired of reading media reports on how values of Tauranga houses have rocketed, the best suburbs to live in and how good that is for growth with new residents - said to be in the vicinity of 8000 last year - pouring into Tauranga. Basically those flocking here are in reality property and financial refugees from Auckland and any nebulous economic benefit they bring is well and truly dissipated by the huge pressure put on infrastructure, including medical care, hospitals, schools and roading – which is gridlocks most days - as traffic volumes have increased 10 per cent. This will take years to address and fix, if ever. In addition newbies pining for the facilities they had in Auckland like museums, stadiums and hotels/convention centres et al - which they probably couldn't access or would never use anyway only - encourages the local bozos to whine and moan about their lot in life. Growth does not pay for itself - it never has and never will - but it certainly frustrates the hell out of most city's long-term residents. So if I never see another news item about the number of houses selling, prices sold for, people flocking here and the inflated values, I will be over the moon. In a nutshell we do not want or need Auckland's insurmountable problems here in Tauranga.

R Paterson, Matapihi.