13 December 2019

Media: NZME

Topic: Whakaari/White Island eruption

Enquiry

I'm working on an article about the Whakaari / White Island tragedy and the implications on other geothermal tourism operators in the Bay of Plenty.

I'm going to a number of other organisations and I'd like to include comment from the council in the story.

Could I please have answers to the below by my deadline of 3pm today?

• What impact does council think the eruption will have on geothermal tourism operations in the area?

Will council be rethinking or making changes to compliance regulations/guidelines for geothermal tourism operations in light of the eruptions? If so, what changes?

Response

From Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick:

At this time our thoughts and focus are on those who have been impacted by this tragedy and we have let our neighbours know that we are here to assist if and wherever needed.

It is too early to tell what the wider ongoing impacts of this event might be but it has been a salutary reminder of the unpredictable nature of where we live. People's safety is, of course, paramount and I'm assured we have preparedness in case of any event, geothermal or otherwise, in Rotorua.

Council is not responsible for regulating tourism operations in geothermal areas, which are mostly on private land. However, where geothermal is present on Council-managed reserves and parks, appropriate safety measures are in place, the activity is monitored regularly and any identified risks are isolated to ensure public safety.

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Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Ashworth Villas housing development

Enquiry

Follow up from Rotorua Daily Post to previous response regarding Ashworth Villas of 11 Dec 2019:

I have an additional quote from Ryan Holmes from Holmes Group which needs to be put to the council for a response.

Is there anything additional you want to say regarding the storm water capacity being taken away from the site previously?

"We have gone a full circle which could have been avoided ... the reality is this land previously had storm water capacity (from the hotel that was at the site) and for whatever reason this was taken away from the site. This issue should have been dealt with differently from the start," Ryan Holmes said.

Response

Response from Jason Ward, Planning and Development Manager:

Council is very motivated to see more housing in Rotorua and endeavours to work collaboratively with developers to ensure as smooth and timely a process as possible.

Council is responsible for ensuring developments meet legislated requirements and adequately address known risks and potential adverse impacts to safeguard the public and protect the environment.

Council has been working collaboratively with the Holmes Group over the past 12 months, which has resulted in a complete application being put forward for resource consent earlier this month.