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6 April 2020

Date:
Categories:
Media Enquiries

Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Federated Farmers criticism of council

Enquiry

I am writing a story about this issue raised by Rotorua / Taupō Federated Farmers tomorrow. [see HERE]

I would like to invite the council to comment on the claims made in the statement please.

Questions:

  • Are the impacts of the NPSIB relevant to Rotorua ratepayers?
  • Are the claims correct? If so why did the Rotorua Lakes Council not submit?
  • If true, what did the council mean by it does not have the resources? What does that mean in real terms?
  • Is it true RLC "rarely" submits on government policy? When did it last submit and what on?

Response

The following can be attributed to a Council spokesperson:

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is the national body for local government and submits on behalf of its members, representing the views of councils, as it did for the NPS on indigenous biodiversity.

National Policy Statements and legislation changes occur frequently and we do not submit on all of these.

Council submitted at the end of October last year on the NPS for Freshwater Management. ________________________________________________________________________________________

Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: New state homes for Rotorua

Enquiry

Hi my story is finally running tomorrow about the new state homes for Rotorua. 36 built so far and 31 in the pipes.

Due to Covid-19 it has been sitting around for a few weeks. The mayor provided a statement at the time that I had to shorten due to space. Is she ok with the same statement due to Covid-19 or would she like to change or add to in due to the circumstances.

Sorry its a short deadline of 4 pm today. Fyi the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has talked about its work with council and Te Arawa in developing a Housing Strategy for Rotorua.

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick said housing was needed across the spectrum to increase rental and general housing stock.

But the council had been clear that people who were assisted into housing ''by those agencies and organisations doing this mahi also have all the support and wrap-around services that they need including mental health and addiction services''.

''So there is a lot that needs to align.''

''Many stakeholders will have roles to play in delivering solutions for our community - this needs a whole-of-community, whole-of-government approach.''

Response

The mayor was happy for her previous comments to stand and added that:

Council has endorsed the need to continue with the Housing Plan as part of Rotorua's post-COVID-19 economic recovery plan. The place based assessment announced by Government was a process that highlighted the very real need for housing as soon as recovery gets underway.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Rumours of pending forest closures

Enquiry

We are hearing some chatter that the council and police are looking to officially close the Redwoods/Whakarewarewa forest. Is this true?

Response

Response from Operations General Manager Jocelyn Mikaere:

Access to the Redwoods, Whakarewarewa forest and other council reserves is currently open to the public for walking and biking but we want to encourage people to take this situation seriously and not put themselves or others at risk. Everyone needs to work together to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

We are continuing to monitor the situation with our partners including the owners of the forest. We expect the public to act responsibly, including being mindful of other users, and follow Government instructions. We want the forest and other green spaces to continue to be a space where people can safely exercise while Alert Level 4 is in place.

Activity that's not necessary, including driving, puts others at risk, including emergency services staff if you have an accident or injure yourself. The last thing we need to do is add pressure on our essential services.

We are taking an encourage and educate approach while people get used to being in isolation. However, people who choose to consistently ignore the rules that are in place to keep the community safe, will be referred to the Police who have the power to enforce Alert Level 4 restrictions.

What people need to know if they want to use the forest and other reserves:

________________________________________________________________________________________

Media: TVNZ

Topic: Noise complaints during COVID-19 lockdown

Enquiry

I'm just looking into a potential story on how the noise landscape (for want of a better word) has changed in Aotearoa during the lockdown.

Wellington City Council have reported a drastic dropoff in the number of noise complaints in the first full week of data they've got during lockdown - which surprised me a bit, as I would have thought complaints would have remained quite similar, if not increased with everybody at home.

Are you able to provide me any information about what the numbers have been like in your council? Essentially only need to know the average number of noise complaints you would regularly deal with, and the number of complaints you've received in a full week of lockdown for comparison.

Response

The following data was provided -

13 Mar 2018 - 20 Mar 2018 : 70 Complaints

13 Mar 2019 - 20 Mar 2019 : 87 Complaints

13 Mar 2020 - 20 Mar 2020 : 51 Complaints

30 Mar 2020 - 6 Apr 2020 : 105 Complaint (during Alert Level 4)

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