9 September 2020
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Illegal dumping clean-up
Enquiry
I am doing a follow story on the story Shauni James did in the Weekender on Friday about Mrs Rotorua Kristal Pehi collecting rubbish at Mountain Rd on Saturday. She got about 20 volunteers that picked 5.5 tonnes of rubbish. I have some questions as the council was supportive of this initiative.
What did the council think about this effort and was it disappointing to see 5.5 tonnes picked up including an animal head and carcass?
What would council like to say to people who dump rubbish and can they be fined - how much?
What effect does rubbish have on the environment and Rotorua's image?
Response
From Council's Waste Manager Prashant Praveen:
The Miss Rotorua Foundation Trust did a fantastic job and we thank them on behalf of our community.
The trust approached Council with their plan and we were happy to provide advice and resources to assist. Volunteers from our waste collection contractor Smart Environmental helped in the clean up, and provided high-visibility vests, rubbish bags, gloves, a skip bin.
Council was pleased to support this group and advocate groups dedicated to caring for the whenua by collecting litter or educating others.
It's always disappointing to see littering and illegal dumping. This is essentially a matter of people's behaviour and lack of respect for their community and for the environment. People need to take personal responsibility for doing the right thing.
Most people so dispose of their rubbish responsibly and see value in caring for our local environment, but others underestimate - or don't care about - the harm they cause to the environment. Rubbish gets blown into streams and lakes as well as creating an unsightly mess and posing a risk to public health and safety.
It costs Council an estimated $100,000 a year to clean up illegal dumping. People often suggest people dump rubbish because of landfill costs but the reality is that there is a substantial cost involved in disposing of the community's rubbish and if the landfill were fee-free, the burden of that cost would fall only on ratepayers. Council's view is that the burden of the cost for waste should be carried by those who create it, not just people who pay rates.
There are illegal dumping 'hot spots' in both urban and rural neighbourhoods. While the majority of illegal dumping takes place in urban areas, typically larger dumping cases occur in rural areas. Council uses preventative measures such as reducing the surrounding vegetation, installing CCTV cameras, signage, public rubbish bins or working alongside the community to implement strategies to reduce the likelihood of dumping.
Re penalties for littering and illegal dumping:
It is difficult to catch people in the act and/or to gain enough evidence to conclusively prove the identity of the culprit.
Illegal dumping and littering are governed by the Litter Act 1979 and councils can either issue an infringement or file charges. This decision would be made in accordance with the type and severity of the littering/dumping.
An infringement can be up to $400 and a fine resulting from prosecution can be up to $5000 per individual involved. If the 'litter' could endanger someone or cause injury or sickness, for example broken bottles, the fine can be up $7500 per person involved.
How people can help
If you witness illegal dumping do not approach the offenders but take notes and photos or videos of the person and their vehicle. This can help with identification and prosecution.
When reporting rubbish it is very helpful if you supply photos that have a location tag. This can be done by turning on your location services on your smart device before taking the photo. This enables contractors to go straight to the dumping site rather than spending time searching for the rubbish.
Other information available
See HERE re illegal dumping
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Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Hemo sculpture
Enquiry
*NOTE: this enquiry follows on from yesterday's enquiry about the sculpture installation - see HERE
How will the change from Beck Helicopters to Kahu NZ affect the cost of the transferral? What will the transfer and installation cost now? Please separate the cost of the two.
When you say "Kilwell Fibretube is responsible for the installation of Te Ahi Tupua including costs" do you mean they are paying for the transfer and installation? Can you please clarify?
Response
Information provided:
Yes, Kilwell are responsible for installation of the sculpture - this includes costs for transfer and install. The team at Kilwell have been dealing directly with the helicopter companies in regards to costs for transportation.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Neill Cooper obituary
Enquiry
Reporter sought comment for a tribute/obituary about former forester Neill Cooper who passed away this week.
Response
Deputy Mayor Dave Donaldson provided comment, referencing Mr Cooper's "fabulous legacy" ie opening up the Whakarewarewa Forest to the public for future generations to enjoy.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Property revaluations
Enquiry
We are looking to do a story about property valuations - which I understand was scheduled to start this month, is that still the case? If so, could you please answer the following questions.
- How many properties will be revalued this year? Of this, how many will require a property inspection?
- What factors are taken into consideration when determining a house's valuation?
- In what ways could Covid impact the valuation of a home OR has impacted the process of valuation?
- How much has capital values in Rotorua increased during the past three years (in the 3 years to 2017 it was more than $3 billion)
- How much have residential values increased the same period (45 per cent in the 3 years to 2017).
Response
From Chief Financial Officer Thomas Coll:
Rotorua comprises approximately 29,000 rating units, all of which will be revalued this year.
Councils are required to revalue every property for rating purposes at least once every three years in accordance with Section 9 of the Rating Valuations Act 1998. The last revaluations of Rotorua properties were undertaken in 2017.
We are obviously concerned about the potential impact on revaluations of COVID-19 and have the ability to apply to the Valuer General for a deferment following recent legislative amendments. Following discussions with the Valuer General we are going ahead with three-yearly revaluations at this time but may revisit the potential to apply for a deferral if we see a significant COVID-related impact.
Council's valuation service provider Opteon reports that as 1 September 2020, they are yet to see any evidence of COVID having a negative impact on the value of residential homes with the residential sector experiencing strong growth. They say this appears to be fuelled by several factors including historically low interest rates and a reduction in sales volumes coupled with an increase in investor activity. These factors will be considered as a part of our revaluation process and we continue to proceed as scheduled.
Opteon will complete inspections on properties that have sold, have had work completed on them or, appear to be outlier sales which are behaving differently to the rest of the market.
Opteon will also complete roadside inspections to ensure that properties are valued consistently to one another.
Property owners will receive new Valuation Notices late January/early February 2021.
Any changes in rating value will not be rated upon until 1 July 2021, which is the start of the 2021/22 financial year.
Re factors considered in revaluations: you will find that information HERE on Council's website along with other information about revaluations that may be helpful/of interest.
Re questions 4 and 5: we are unable to answer these questions at this time as the revaluations are not yet complete.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Tarewa Road concerns
Enquiry
I'm doing a story about the concerns Tarewa Rd residents are currently experiencing with crime.
Aroha Bray and Merepeka Raukawa-Tait have been involved in a couple of public meetings and they appear to be being really proactive about bringing the community together to help improve things.
Aroha mentioned they have approached the council to get lighting improved in the area as well as a fence fixed near the Aquatic Centre area.
Can you please confirm if the council has been approached, whether you are able to help with their requests and what, if any, other measures are being put in place to help improve things from a council perspective for the residents?
**The reporter followed up to clarify that Ms Bray planned to ask the council today to improve lighting and fix the fence and that the reference to lighting was referring to street lights.
Response
From Infrastructure Group Manager Stavros Michael:
Council has recently completed significant roading upgrades along Tarewa Road to improve traffic safety. This work has been done in collaboration with the local community. We have not been aware of any lighting issues however, we are happy to look into those concerns now that they have been raised. Our officers will assess the issues and look into potential solutions.
It is also worth mentioning that Council has awarded a contract to a local provider to begin the process of converting streetlights to LED bulbs. While this doesn't increase lighting, it does improve visibility through the change in colour and the way the light is projected.
