I write with a sense of frustration at the mixed negative messages coming our way.
We celebrate the wonderful new development occurring at Tauriko Industrial Zone. It's a $10 million investment and will employ more than 40 people, which is great news for the Tauranga region.
Just as an aside, it is a Japanese company doing the development.
We celebrate that, yet when it comes to other considerable investments we take a forked tongue approach.
Protesters are sitting out from a ship, which is doing exploratory work to see if there is oil or gas, off New Zealand's coast.
I cannot believe we allow protesters to create such trumped up excuses as to why the research should not be allowed to go ahead.
This little remote country of ours depends on our ability to export, to earn an income, so that we can all have a reasonable standard of living.
And we need to provide employment for our people, rather than see them take off overseas. To have protesters pretending that they are doing us a favour with their protesting against the oil drilling ship is just a sham.

Margaret Murray-Benge,
Tauranga City.