18 June 2019

Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Road safety (Selwyn Rd)

Enquiry

Just following this up. A resident on Selwyn said she was surprised there had been so few reports dangerous driving.

She also mentioned there was a damaged culvert which runs beneath her home - Kat - and said the council had said at the beginning of the year they would be in to fix it but had not. She has concerns of the speed and volume of traffic down Selwyn and says its only a matter of time before the road caves in with the higher volume of traffic.

- Why has the council not been proactive in fixing this culvert?

- Where exactly does it run and what is the extent of the damage/ rot?

- Is the council concerned the road will cave in

-How would speed bumps be more dangerous? The resident said she would have expected it would help control the speed - whether the council thought it was dangerous or not, she said the something needed to happen. She is also a home-based educator and is worried the danger of the streets would hurt a child.

Someone getting hurt was just a matter of time, she said.

I have attached a photo of a car in a sinkhole between hers and her neighbor's property in April last year.

She is worried this will happen on the street.

Subsequent question
They were also told work would begin in January, which it has not. Can I please have a response as to why this is?

Response

From Infrastructure Group Manager Stavros Michael

"The matter of the culvert is something we have been discussing with a Selwyn Road resident and we would be happy to speak directly with the person you have spoken to rather than through the media.

"There is nothing structurally wrong with the culvert but there are plans to make it bigger and the engineering design work required to do that is underway.

"The road is not at risk of caving in. The sink hole shown in the photograph was the result of ground saturation from heavy rain, a pipe join bursting due to the volume of rain water, and the van being illegally parked on the berm above the culvert.

"Speed bumps are not always the best traffic calming measures and are used only where there is evidence of average driving speeds exceeding 50kph and where such intervention is appropriate. We have no current evidence of such an issue on Selwyn Road but would be happy to discuss residents' concerns with them to consider if there is a problem that needs addressing."

Regarding the start date of this work - following the April floods last year, Council's programme of infrastructure work needed to be reviewed and reprioritised.

Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Dog attack

Enquiry

I'm doing a story on the attack of a woman and a dog yesterday. I really want to speak to the woman about her fears and experience of the attack but she was told not to speak to the media and I am just wondering if the dog control could waiver what they said to her so that I can talk to her about it? I won't compromise the investigation, there is already information online about the attack, even the address. I just want to speak about feelings basically. And dog control is very onto it an have a good reputation. It seems to be a problem of stray dogs and hopefully, a story with dog control could help people be more aware.

I would also like to ask:

-Was dog control called to Bidios Rd to a woman and dog attacked? When was this?

-Has the attacking dog been found? Is the whereabouts of the dog known and what is happening with this?

-What was the nature of the attack, as reported to dog control?
-How many attacks were reported to dog control this month? Where were they? How many were people and how many were animals being attacked? How many animals were killed?

... also How many attacks were reported this year so far?

-How many roaming dogs have been reported this month? And this year?

-Are controllers concerned about the number of attacks? A woman was also attacked on Sunday and taken to hospital, just walking her dog.

Subsequent question

Also another question to tack on - was a request put in for the attacking dog on Bidois to be destroyed? Will it be? And what is the protocol for destroying a dog?

Response

From Dylan Wright, Animal Control Team Lead:

"Animal Control did attend a dog attack on Bidios Street yesterday afternoon. The incident was reported as an attack on another dog.

"The details of the attack are still being investigated and the dog allegedly responsible for the attack is yet to be located. The outcome will be determined following further investigation.

"Each dog attack incident is considered on a case-by-case basis. If for safety reasons it is determined that a dog needs to be destroyed, the owners can voluntarily surrender the dog to Council, otherwise Council will seek a Court order to destroy the dog.

"Any number of dog attacks is reason for concern as they have the potential to inflict significant harm and in many cases can be prevented. It's important that dog owners ensure dogs are secured on their property at all times and when out in public maintain control over their dog and monitor people's and other dog's interactions with them."

Dog statistics:

• In June there have been eight reported attacks across Owhata, Fairy Springs, Western Heights and Rotoiti.
• Of these attacks, four were on domestic animals, one was on stock, and three were on people.
• Eight sheep were killed in these attacks.
• 96 attacks have been reported this year.
• 84 reports of roaming dogs have been received this month.
• 722 reports of roaming dogs have been received this year.

General information:

• Council has a team of seven active Animal Control officers with a minimum of four attending complaints and patrols daily Monday to Friday and a minimum of two on weekends. Afterhours officers are on call after 4.30pm and respond as needed to jobs phoned through to our afterhours team.
• Attacks are considered a 'priority one' job which means they are responded to immediately 24 hours a day.
• Council's Animal Control officers respond to all jobs lodged as soon as possible. If they are not responding to a particular job they are out on general patrol around the district.
• Council's Animal Control team must work to the legislation set out under the Dog Control Act.
• If you own a dog it is your responsibility to make sure it is secured on your own property at all time.
• Roaming dogs should be reported to Council as soon as possible to prevent potential attacks. Often people post pictures and information on private social media pages which means officers are not aware of roaming dog issues. If roaming dogs are reported immediately to Council, officers can attend sooner and are more likely to pick up the dog(s).
• When reporting a dog (if safe to do so) a photograph of the dog and/or a detailed description of the breed and if known, the address from which the dog emerged or is known to live, is useful. This information will help animal control staff to follow up as appropriate.
• If you see a roaming dog it is important to try and distance yourself from the dog but do not run. If possible get behind a solid object such as a fence, inside your home if you are on your own property or get to your car if it is nearby.

Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Census fines

Enquiry

I am doing a story on the fact that two people in Rotorua have been charged for not completing the last Census. They are among seven in the wider BoP and 60 across the country.

I wondered if I could please get some comment from the mayor about whether she thinks its fair to take people to court for this. One man who was sentenced was fined a total of $280 for not doing it including court costs.

Also is the library able to comment on whether it saw a lot of people visiting to use the computers to do the Census?

Response

Please find comment from the Mayor below. In regards to people using computers at the library – in general staff did notice people using the computers to complete their Census forms and there were Senior Net volunteers at the library helping people complete their forms online as you reported last year -https://www.nzherald.co.nz/census/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501043&objectid=12006647.

Rotorua Mayor, Steve Chadwick:

“It’s my view that this punitive action is a waste of time and resource and does nothing to engage and encourage people to participate in the Census.

“Effort and resources would be better spent educating communities about the value of the data collected via the Census and how this helps to adequately plan for and meet the needs of New Zealanders in regards to health care, education, and housing among others.”