7 December 2017
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Ranolf Street Flats
Enquiry
I'm doing a follow up on the Ranolf St flats that are owned by a trust linked to Stephen Bhana.
As background, they were meant to be sold at auction last month after the "Sheriff" (High Court) arrested the properties and ordered the sale. But on the day of the auction, the sale got cancelled at the request of a creditor (another of Bhana's trust is one of the creditors). Here's the link to the previous story if you need.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11933947
From a council point of view, I wanted to check a couple of things with you.
- Are the 12 flats at 90-92 Ranolf St still owned by the Ranolf Trust? (I can come and check the files or ring the office if you'd prefer).
- The flats all have notices on the windows from the council warning they "dangerous and insanitary". Will the council take future action regarding these flats? Can the council knock them down if it deems them dangerous?
Response
In response to the media inquiry about 12 units at 90 - 92 Ranolf Street, the following statement is attributed to Rotorua Lakes Council's Building Services manager, Darrell Holder:
Council can confirm the 12 units, which display dangerous and insanitary signs, are owned by the Ranolf Trust. Council staff have been working with members of the trust for some time and will continue to do so. We want to help the owners develop units that are safe and habitable homes, and that meet building compliance standards.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post (enquiry for Destination Rotorua)
Topic: Christmas build-up - accommodation
Enquiry
I am writing a story on how accommodation operators are faring in the lead up to Christmas and was hoping for some comment. Some operators are almost at 100 per cent while other motels in the mid to lower price brackets are struggling as they say Air BnB has had an impact.
How would you describe the accommodation options currently available in Rotorua?
What is your view on Air BnB's what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Do you have any visitor numbers from the last few years you can share with our readers?
And do you expect it to be busier this year than last in the tourism sector and why?
Response
From Destination Rotorua CE Michelle Templer:
We are lucky in Rotorua that we have the full range of accommodation options from luxury lodges right through the holiday parks that can cater for every visitor on every budget.
The shared economy is something that has become more prevalent over the past few years as consumers come to grips with technology, however this isn't just limited to the accommodation sector as we have seen with Uber, Mighway, Yourdrive and others coming into the market. The advantage is with the consumer as they now have more choice, however, just like every other sector, there are wider concerns regarding regulation and recourse.
Visitor spend, numbers below, has been steadily increasing over the past few years as Destination Rotorua (Rotorua Economic Development) and the visitor industry strives to achieve a $1.5b visitor economy in Rotorua by 2030. Given that we don't have a border it is hard to put an exact figure on the number of tourists coming into Rotorua but the estimate is roughly 3m/year from domestic and international markets.
Visitor Spend YE June
- 2015 $680m
- 2016 $747m
- 2017 $802mIt's hard to tell at this stage but early indications from the accommodation sector is that their occupancy levels and forward bookings are ahead of last year. Obviously the weather will also play a role, but again, all indications so far are that we should be in for a fair weather summer.
