13 January 2021
Media: Rotorua Weekender
Topic: Fun in the Park Summer Series
Enquiry
Reporter had the following questions:
What do the Fun in the Park events include?
What is the purpose behind the Fun in the Park summer series?
Why do you encourage people to come along?
Why are we lucky in Rotorua with our parks?
Are there any messages or reminders you want to give people for when using our local parks?
Response
Response from Jill Campbell, Kaitohu Rautaki/ Strategy Advisor, Strategy and Partnership Team:
What do the Fun in the Park events include? Library children's activities, Central Kids Kindergarten activities tent, Cook Island Drumming, Kimiora Trust have a Slip & Slide & bouncy castle, use of existing playgrounds and parks, free bbq, volleyball and touch activities, MC & music, DHB health stall, Rotorua Lakes Council Bikes trailer providing free bike activities.
What is the purpose behind the Fun in the Park summer series? The kaupapa is to provide fun free activities on local parks during the holidays when many whanau are around trying to find affordable things to do with their children.
Why do you encourage people to come along? We encourage people to come along to enjoy the fun free activities that are suitable for the whole whanau.
Why are we lucky in Rotorua with our parks? Our parks are where our communities play, and spaces where services can be taken so people can enjoy them.
Are there any messages or reminders you want to give people for when using our local parks? Our key message is around reminding people to head outside, play together and have fun. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Media: Stuff
Topic: Te Ahi Tupua sculpture
Enquiry
Dropping you a line to ask for some comment in the wake of a Taxpayers' Union claim about the Hemo Gorge sculpture?
I've copied and pasted their release here but wanted to basically ask: Have any structural movements happened, as claimed, and is there any potential health and safety issues, also as claimed?
NZ TAXPAYERS' UNION MEDIA RELEASE:
Rotorua's monument to Government Waste structurally insecure?
11 JANUARY 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Taxpayers' Union is alarmed to learn that Rotorua's Hemo Gorge Sculpture, labelled a monument to waste' by locals, potentially poses a health and safety risk due to structural movements since its installation.
Taxpayers' Union Rotorua Spokesman Jordan Williams says:
Since the monument was erected, reports of a visible tilt in the metal base plate relative to the concrete foundation plate have arisen. This causes (or partly causes) the sculpture to tilt in the approximate direction of Whakarewarewa Village.
We understand urgent enquiries have been made to the Council about engineering assessments of the monument's safety - right in the middle of a State Highway.
This omnishambles is already 50 percent overbudget and looks nothing like the concept drawings despite running three years late. Now that questions of engineering safety are being asked, the Council needs to front.
Response
Please see response from Arts and Culture Manager Stewart Brown:
There is no evidence of any structural movement. The sculpture is firmly in place.
Following installation, Te Ahi Tupua has been tested by independent structural engineers. Their report to Council confirms that the sculpture exceeds structural specification.