To date, apart from some letters to the editor, there has been almost no balancing media coverage of the topical Battle of Gate Pa story.

So far, local government has chosen to spend ratepayers money sponsoring largely one viewpoint. And seemingly, only one set of objectives.

Emphasising a view asserting greedy settler-inspired injustice and unquestionably innocent Maori grievance. Forgetting the reality 150 years ago that if certain laws were broken then, land could be confiscated.

This is a very important and rare opportunity to get some balance into our perceptions and motives.

To guide our future priorities and actions. Positively.

But many claim local government and media are fostering a distortion.

Ignoring such enforced limitations, dictated or revealed to ratepayers and readers, rather than solving pressing and genuine issues will make us stumble, very expensively, into far more.

Auckland has already set this scene. Inflicting a set of gravely-flawed choices on hostile ratepayers.

Brian Monks, Papamoa.