1 May 2017
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Living Wage at Council
Inquiry
I am looking for comment from the mayor on the issue of paying workers the living wage for a Daily Post story.
I recently received a response to an official information (LGOIMA) request saying that 60 of the council's 427 employees are earning less than $20.20 an hour, the new living wage which comes into effect from July.
The figure is high in comparison with other councils, and I wonder if there is a particular reason for this e.g. does the Rotorua Lakes Council have a large number of low-skilled employees or trainees?
Are there any plans to raise salaries of lower-paid workers, particularly with the recent rise in inflation, rising rents in Rotorua and the new living wage coming into effect?
Response
From Rotorua Lakes Council CE Geoff Williams:
Council employee salaries are based on market rates with pay rates benchmarked against the median for the general market and aligned to job size (responsibility) and performance.
Council has a wide range of roles requiring different skills at various levels. At the Aquatic Centre, for example, about 50 of the 60 staff are lifeguards or instructors and many are part-time or casual and young, employed straight out of college. Working at the centre is often their first employment opportunity and a stepping stone towards tertiary training or careers.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Big Brekkie - Lions tour
Inquiry
I am doing a story on the "Big Brekkie" to be held on Sunday June 18.
- Where will the "Big Brekkie" take place and what time?
- How many vendor spaces are available? What kind of vendors are the council looking for?
- Why was it decided to put this Big Brekkie on the day after Lions game?
- What does the RLC hope the Big Brekkie will bring to the fans and tourists here in Rotorua because of the rugby?
- Are the RLC organising any other public events during the weekend of the Lions game?
Response
From Martin Croft, Events Manager, Events and Venues Rotorua
The last Lions Series game hosted in Rotorua, in 2005, was huge and this time we're expecting more than 21,000 visitors to be in Rotorua during the weekend of the Maori All Blacks versus Lions game, including about 4000 international visitors.
We want to create a festival atmosphere around the game and we expect there will be a great buzz throughout the central city that weekend, including the morning after the match when people will be out looking for breakfast and brunch.
The Big Brekkie will be a family-friendly pop up event on the Village Green with food trucks and food stalls aimed at supporting local businesses in providing great hospitality, and we encourage local eateries and businesses to open.
We'll have long tables under cover where people can sit to eat and enjoy a communal breakfast plus other seating options, or people can go picnic style on the grass. There will also be entertainment and music.
We're looking for food trucks and foodies now for Big Brekkie and are looking for a good mix of local kai, traditional big breakfast foods, seafood and international food.
On Saturday 17 June, the day before the Big Brekkie, the village green will host our Guinness World Record Attempt for the Largest Haka. We encourage everybody to turn up around midday for that.
