23 December 2020
Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: Rotorua CBD, safety and homeless
Enquiry
I am writing a story on the CBD and commercial sales and leasing.
On the positive side Colliers International has sold a number of buildings in the last three months and done some leasing - Blur eyecare which has two stores in Tauranga is also opening a new shop in Rotorua next year.
However, there are still concerns about the homeless and one long term business owner said the CBD is the worst state he has seen it in and there are more empty shops.
Questions:
-What vision does the council have for the CBD and what has been implemented so far?
-Has the council received any complaints or concerns about the CBD in the last year and what have the majority been about?
-What initiatives and support does the council have to support and encourage businesses in the city?
-And what initiatives does the council have around the homeless?
We sought the following clarifications from the reporter (reporter's clarifications in italics):
You say there are still concerns about the homeless - what concerns are you talking about in relation to homeless and the CBD?
The concerns which have also been raised by the Chamber of Commerce are homeless hanging about and putting people off shopping.
You say a long term business owners says the CBD is in the worst state he has seen - what does he mean by state? Is her talking about empty shops or what?
Worse state as in empty shops.
Question 2 - what sort of complaints about the CBD do you mean?
With complaints I mean - have there been complaints or concerns about homeless people in town lot tiering [sic] about and being intimidating.
Question 3 - what do you mean by to support and encourage businesses in the city? What do you mean by support and encourage?
In regards to support - I mean like the Tauranga Council gives funding to Downtown Tauranga and Priority One - whose main focus is on supporting businesses etc - does RLC do anything like that and what are the benefits?
Question 4 - what do you mean by initiatives around the homeless in your question: And what initiatives does the council have around the homeless?
I suppose I mean are there any bylaws or is the council involved with any other agencies to address the issues that have been reported in the past.
Response
The following comment and information was provided:
From Mayor Steve Chadwick:
"We are very aware of concerns about safety in the CBD - it's why we introduced safety patrols two summers ago in partnership with the police and, as we did the past two summers, we are increasing patrols and CCTV monitoring again this holiday period, with a car patrol also being added.
Community safety, CBD improvements, housing and economic development and recovery have been key themes of elected members' discussions in recent workshops to provide direction for a new long-term plan.
My expectation is that people are safe in our inner city and that a zero tolerance approach is taken to anti-social behavior. We share concerns raised with us by our business community and residents about inner city safety and while problems lessened during lockdown, we know concerns have increased again. That's why we are putting more resources into safety patrols and continue to work closely with police, who are also patrolling the CBD.
Our vision for a vibrant, safe and thriving inner city hasn't changed and Council is working hard alongside police and others to deliver an environment that's safe, where people can enjoy community activities like our markets, and that enables businesses to thrive, and encourages development and investment.
The CBD is also a focus in our economic development strategy framework to support recovery and longer term economic development in Rotorua, and work is underway on options to incentivise and invest in CBD development, including housing development."
Reporter was also provided with the following information/references:
Below is detail re the safety patrols and links to more info that may be of interest or assistance and you may also wish to speak with the police for further insight re inner city safety and what police are doing.
CBD Safety patrols
- Security patrols will operate seven days a week during summer, 8am to 10pm.
- A roving car patrol will also be operating during these hours.
- CCTV cameras in the CBD will be monitored every day, particularly during peak time periods.
- Staff on the ground (Council Safe City Guardians and security firm staff) have direct communication links with council staff monitoring CCTV footage and with police, to address any issues that arise.
- Police are also operating patrols in the CBD during the summer.
- Anti-social, suspicious and criminal behaviour should continue to be reported to Police by calling 111. Police can also be contacted about non urgent matters by calling 105.Economic development strategy framework: See THIS LINK and for actions re CBD see page relating to Agreed Key Priorities 03. Rotorua, ready for business).Re council initiatives and support to support and encourage businesses in the city: Council's CCO Rotorua Economic Development (RED), which is funded by Council, provides support for businesses and promotes Rotorua as a place to invest, do business and visit. RED can provide more detail.Re initiatives relating to homeless: It's unclear what sort of bylaws or reported issues you mean but see link to Housing and Thriving Communities Strategy re housing plans. It also references CBD and community safety. Section starting p20 outlines actions etcHousing Strategy (pdf)(External link)
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Motels housing homeless
Enquiry
Reporter sought comment from the mayor as follows:
can I please get your views on some comment I was given from Rotorua Motel Association chairman Mike Gallagher about the "look" of Fenton St.
I was asking him to comment on the cost of housing the homeless according to the latest quarterly housing report.
He said the following: (these are just my notes below for your context)
He is calling for moteliers making good money from emergency housing to reinvest in their properties to help prepare the city for the return of visitors.
He said some motel owners were currently making good money from emergency housing and he'd like to see some reinvestment in the businesses.
He also called for a better approach to emergency housing from the Ministry of Social Development where the Government departments should insist on certain standards from clientele and should be made to put some of the funds towards security.
Gallagher said it was clear people needed roofs, the motel scenario for housing the homeless was not ideal but there were little other solutions right now.
However, he said emergency housing rules needed to be tightened to work better.
"Things can be done better and better parameters should be put in place to ensure motels set a better standard."
He called for those motels that were making good money from emergency housing to reinvest in their properties to ensure standards were maintained.
"Keep the lawns mowed, do the grounds up, do the fences, paint the buildings. There is no reason they should not be keeping the upkeep of their properties up. This is an opportunity to spend money on your properties."
Gallagher said while he understood there were "challenges" with some of the motels' clientele, now was the time to prepare themselves for when emergency housing in motels ended.
"I think this will be around a while yet but how can we as a community have this operation working better?
"My biggest concern is Fenton St is not looking the best and some motels have had the opportunity to reinvest."
***
As mayor, do you agree with Gallagher?
Do you think our moteliers (not the ones like Four Canoes and Tuscany Villas that are already working with Crown agencies) have a responsibility to ensure they aren't just using emergency housing as a cash cow without thinking what's right for Rotorua?
Response
From Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick:
I do agree that our motel properties should be kept well maintained and tidy, regardless of who the occupants are.
The fact they are being used for emergency accommodation doesn't mean they should be allowed to deteriorate - I think that's irresponsible and it drags our city down.
The potential for operators to see emergency housing as a cash cow is certainly a concern and I would prefer motels were purchased and re-purposed by relevant government agencies if they are needed to provide emergency accommodation. That would ensure all such accommodation was well run, with suitably qualified people in charge and providing all the right services and support that are required.________________________________________________________________________________________
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Council campgrounds
Enquiry
I'm writing to ask whether your council owns or operates any campgrounds. For those of you who do, can you please tell me;
1) How many campgrounds the council owns/operates and where they are located?
2) How much are the fees per night for tents, cabins and caravans?
3) Do you have long term campers and if so what are the annual fees?
4) How are the campground fees are paid? Are they paid in cash by campers?
5) If so, who is the cash paid to? If not, what other way can campers pay?
6) Has the council ever had any problems with cash payments? For example theft, fraud or non-payment? If so please elaborate - what happened, how much was lost, from which camp, etc?
7) Is the council considering other ways of collecting payment and if so what are these?
8) How much cash might one camp hold on site in any one week?
9) How much do the camp/s earn per year in camping fees? (Eg what was the total earned by the council from campground fees in 2019?)
Response
Reporter was informed that Rotorua Lakes Council does not own or operate any campgrounds.