9 March 2021
Media: Stuff
Topic: Homeless, crime and safety
Enquiry
I'm doing a story about increasing frustration amongst businesspeople and residents in Rotorua about the number of homeless people who've been housed in motels along the Fenton St strip, which they say has led to an increase in crime and anti social behaviour.
This subject has obviously attracted publicity already, and I believe Mayor Chadwick has been quoted as saying Rotorua will not be a dumping ground for the country's homeless.
But my inquiries have found that many of the people staying at the motels are from other centres.
I have one case study about a young couple who couldnt find anywhere in wellington, so came to rotorua with Winz funding for 2 nights in a motel (the local Winz wouldnt renew it - they are now staying in a spare room at the hospital).
this situation has been known about for many months and only seems to be getting worse. There are also allegations that some social service providers are actively recruiting homeless from other centres.
can i please get a comment from the Mayor as to whether this ongoing situation is of concern, what's causing the problem and what's being done about it.
Response
From Rotorua Mayor, Steve Chadwick:
"We are very aware of the issues our community is facing as a result of motels being used as emergency accommodation and yes it is very concerning.
"Ensuring Rotorua is a safe place to live and visit is a key priority of Council right now. Council is working very hard behind the scenes on both housing and safety - these have been key topics of discussion during Long-term Plan workshops and will be reflected in what we consult the community on during April.
"Currently many of the issues concerning our residents are being attributed to people in emergency accommodation. While not everyone in emergency housing causes trouble, and not all the troublemakers are in emergency housing, those who are causing problems have created a situation which has escalated, and is now completely unacceptable.
"While everyone deserves a safe place to live and a roof over their head, unfortunately the use of motels as emergency accommodation is proving not to serve this purpose.
"Council staff, local MPs, and I are lobbying hard on behalf of Rotorua to get some action from central Government agencies. The situation in Rotorua is critical and we need specific solutions to address our bespoke issues.
"I issued a call recently for urgent progress to get people out of emergency accommodation and into homes. I acknowledge that we can't do it overnight, and there is no single silver bullet, but as we are hearing from our community every day, something needs to change, and it needs to change now. I am prepared to step up and lead that change."
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Media: Maori TV
Topic: Wastewater spill last week
Enquiry
Reporter from Te Ao Mārama programmerequested an interview with Mayor Chadwick regarding the wastewater break last week.
Patai:
1) Why are the pipes close to the lake?
2) Could this have been avoided if the pipes were not near the lake?
3) Whos needs to be held accountable for what has happened?
4) How do we stop this from happening again?
5) Has Te Arawa Lakes Trust laid any complaints as they own the lake beds and this sewerage maybe now be resting on the lake bed?
6) Are the warning signs still up?
7) Is the lake safe to swim in?
8) Where to from here for the Rotorua Lakes Council?
Response
Reporter interviewed Mayor Chadwick and Infrastructure Group Manager Stavros Michael today. The following points were covered:
Infrastructure is located where there are housing settlements and our lakes are surrounded by housing and communities.
Escaped wastewater ending up in the environment is inevitable. To minimise the chance of this happening we undertake systematic assessment of the condition of the pipes as part of our proactive and reactive maintenance work. Occasionally we have incidents take place that are out of our control.
Ultimately RLC is responsible for the three waters of the city. Performance of the system belongs to us.
Staff are investigating the cause of the break to the sewer pipe. On site assessment indicates that the pipe damage had been caused, possibly unintentionally, by the installation of a private stormwater pipe some time ago. That installation caused surface damage to the sewer pipe that has gradually deteriorated and ruptured. The actual condition of the pipeline had recently been assessed and is evaluated as having at least another 20 years of effective life.
Council notified Te Arawa Lakes Trust, hapū and marae representatives on the night and have continued to keep them updated. We haven't received a formal complaint from Te Awara Lakes Trust. We know that they share our disappointment that this has happened, and they expect RLC to do everything we can to look after the lake to return it to a clean state that is suitable for the community to use.
The health warning on the lake was lifted at 4pm this afternoon. Warning signs will be removed.
Significant investment into our wastewater infrastructure is vital to future-proof our wastewater against incidents like this one.
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Media: Rotorua Weekender
Topic: Top Art 2021
Enquiry
I'm wanting to do a preview on Top Art 2021 coming to Rotorua.
- What is Top Art and why is it a great opportunity to have this exhibition coming to Rotorua?
- Why do you encourage students/schools and the community to come along and check it out?
- What are some of the topics/themes and mediums included in the exhibition?
- Who are the Rotorua students included in the exhibition this year?
- Is there anything you would like to add?
- Are there any photos available?
Response
Images and the following information were provided:
- Top Art is an annual exhibition featuring some of New Zealand's top secondary school Visual Art portfolios, toured by New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
- It gives people a chance see the work our talented youth are producing in schools in a variety of mediums: painting, photography, digital, sculpture, printmaking and design. It is exciting to see how creative the youth of New Zealand are.
- It provides motivation and gives students an understanding of what is required to achieve Excellence or Scholarship in Visual Art at NCEA Level 3.
- Mediums: Design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and digital.
- This year we are excited to have two Rotorua students displaying their work in Top Art. Scott Edwards (Rotorua Lakes High School) and Naiomi Stubbs (John Paul College) were both selected for their exceptional portfolios.
- This year the exhibition is only open from 23-26 March so make sure you don't miss out!
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: February building consents
Enquiry
May I please have the top five building consents (in $ value) issued in February 2021, their address and what they were for?
May I also please have the total $ value for all consents issued in February 2021?
Response
Top five commercial consents:
New BIOGAS FACILITY | 3057 Broadlands Road | $3,000,000 |
New ST JOHNS AMBULANCE BUILDING | 216 TE NGAE ROAD | $1,200,000 |
LUGE RETAINING ALTERATIONS | 178 FAIRY SPRINGS ROAD | $250,000 |
INTERNAL FIT OUT | 1129 PUKUATUA STREET | $175,000 |
ALTERATION OF STAFFROOM LAYOUT | 100 AQUARIUS DRIVE | $150,000 |
There were 94 building consents issued in February with a total work value of $19,064,400
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Pukaki St building
Enquiry
I am working on a story about a company that has bought a Pukaki St building that is almost 100 years old. I was wondering if the council was able to tell me if this would rank in one of the city's oldest commercial buildings?
Address is 1202 Pukaki St.
Response
We've checked with the building team and while they hold records of the age of buildings they don't have a register that shows which buildings are the oldest compared to others.
Our rates database also does not hold this information.
The reporter was referred to the Rotorua Library Heritage team for more information.
From Rotorua Library:
Our Heritage and Research team have looked into this for you. The building at 1202 Pukaki St was originally a residential property not a commercial one. It was built in 1927.
The oldest commercial building is Chandler's Blds that was built in 1920 so now 101 years old.