7 April 2021
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: trans-Tasman travel bubble and accommodation concerns
Enquiry
I am doing a follow-up today on the travel bubble and had a few questions for Steve please.
- There are concerns about the lack of accommodation in the city with the MIQ facilities and the emergency housing accommodation. Is this a concern for you?
- Why is this a concern? If there a risk of the cities tourism being sold short with no rooms?
- How will this issue be mitigated?
- What extra resourcing is needed to help make sure the city is ready?
I have a deadline of 2pm. Thanks in advance!
Follow up question:
Just seeking a response to critisms from Todd McClay.
He wants the government and local council to take the concerns of the city seriously - in terms of the lack of accommodation which is used for emergency housing and managed isolation. "Return Rotorua back to a tourist town. Stop using it as a dumping ground"
Response
From Mayor Steve Chadwick:
We have always had a vast amount and array of accommodation options for visitors and I have been assured that Rotorua still has plenty of accommodation capacity. I am sure that operators who have not been running to full capacity will welcome the opportunity the travel bubble will provide and will gear up their capacity for the return of Australian visitors.
Follow up response from Mayor Steve Chadwick:
Council is very aware of, and shares, the community's concerns about the use of motels for emergency accommodation, and addressing Rotorua's housing crisis and community safety concerns are central to our draft 2021-31 Long-term Plan, which is currently out for consultation. Key priorities included in the proposed plan are based on what the community has told us is important to them.
Everyone agrees the current emergency housing situation is untenable, but as many will also understand, the housing crisis is extremely complex and can't be resolved overnight.
We are not sitting on our hands doing nothing. We continue to work closely with Te Arawa and central government agencies on housing solutions for our district and will continue to lobby hard on behalf of our community. We have been extremely clear that Rotorua cannot be a homeless 'dumping ground' and that motels can absolutely not be a medium or long-term solution to our housing issues.
I look forward to the meeting Todd said he would have with me following his public meeting to discuss what came out of that.
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Media: Rotorua Weekender
Topic: Car seat clinic
Enquiry
I'm getting in touch as Rotorua Car Seat Clinic has emailed through to let us know about the recycling day being run with Rotorua Lakes Council at the Energy Events Centre on Saturday.
I was wondering if there would be someone within council happy to give a couple comments to add into the preview story - I've popped just a couple quick questions below, and I've also put below the info the clinic sent me:
- How helpful would it be to have car seats not ending up in general waste? Do many car seats end up in Rotorua's general waste?
- Why do you encourage parents to come along to this day and make the most of the recycling/car seat check opportunity?
- Is there anything you would like to add?
Info clinic sent to reporter: We are running a big recycling day with Rotorua Lakes Council on the 10th if April at the Energy EventsCentre. Currently there is no way to recycle car seats here so they end up in general waste, so we are testing the waters and seeing if we can get enough interest to be able to continue this service.
RLC are then taking the seats to SeatSmart in Hamilton who recycle them.
We are also doing free Carseat Checks and installs on the day too.
Response
Please see below a couple of responses about the car seat recycling event this weekend. You can find out more about the organisation that takes the recycled seats at 3R Reimagineers | SeatSmart | Child Car Seat Recycling. You will note that the seats are taken to various places, so not just Hamilton.
From Rachel Doelman - Sustainable Journeys Coordinator
We've found that a lot of people don't realise that car seats expire or they don't really understand why an expired car seat can be unsafe. Seats expire due to a number of reasons including safety regulations changing, labels fading over time and because exposure to sunlight weakens some plastics. Expiry dates on car seats are sometimes difficult to translate, so if in doubt it is a good idea to have professionals check your seat to be safe - especially if you have bought your seat second-hand. Rotorua Car Seat Clinic is run by volunteers who are qualified car seat technicians and very passionate about the safety of tamariki.
From Golnaz Nazem - Waste Minimisation Officer
It is estimated that 40,000 car seats expire each year and they are likely to end up in landfills across New Zealand. Most car seats are made of more than 90% recyclable materials. Recovering recyclable materials means those resources can be made into new products which contributes to a more circular industry.
This initiative is a positive way to collaborate on two very important things for our community - safety in transport and waste minimisation. It's a great opportunity for parents/guardians to learn more about the use of car seats to keep tamariki safe, and by recycling the seats we help to sustain Social Enterprise which is a great cause. We want to encourage anyone with a car seat, whether it's expired or just needs a check, to come along and be part of this meaningful mahi.