1 March 2022
Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: Maori vaccination rates
Enquiry
I've got the latest data from Lakes DHB about where they are with Māori vaccines and they're not far away from reaching 90% fully vaxxed. I was wondering whether the council/Steve would like to comment on it at all? Just after a quick response -- can take a phone call later today or receive a written response.
From Lakes DHB:
How many more Māori are needed to get vaccinated to reach both 90% first dose and 90% fully vaccinated?
First dose – 32
Second dose - 1307
Can you please provide any estimates you have about when Māori may reach those vaccination targets?
We expect to reach the first dose 90% milestone by the end of this week, the second dose may take at least another month.
QUESTIONS
Do you have any messages of encouragement for getting the final thousand-odd people along to get their first and second doses?
And with Omicron cases quickly increasing, do you have any thing else you'd like to say (kind of the same as Q1)?
Response
From Mayor Steve Chadwick:
It’s great to see we are nearing this milestone for our Maori community – a lot of effort has gone into getting to this point and I know that those efforts will continue.
My message to everyone is to keep up the good work, please get vaccinated if you aren’t already, get your boosters if you are already double-vaccinated and don’t forget the children.
Please follow the guidelines set by our health authorities, keep scanning wherever you go, wear masks, wash hands, isolate and get tested if you have symptoms.
Omicron continues to ramp up, as we knew it would, and vaccination remains our best protection, reducing our chances of getting it and reducing the severity of symptoms.
It’s not “just a common cold” for everyone and we want to do whatever we can to protect our people and also protect our local economy.
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Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: Rainbow Springs closure
Enquiry
May I please have some comment from the mayor on the confirmed closure of Rainbow Springs?
What kind of impact will this have on tourism in Rotorua?
How does she feel about the closure?
Stuff have reported Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Whakaue are discussing the latter potentially buying Rainbow Springs. What would a move like this mean?
Any other comment?
Response
From Mayor Steve Chadwick:
The park will be very much missed by both locals and visitors. We all have a great love for this long-standing local tourism icon so it is sad to see it closing although we are pleased the kiwi conservation programme will remain in Rotorua.
It would be great if there are any future opportunities for the park to be re-opened – we will remain hopeful about that and will watch future plans for the Agrodome, another of our loved iconic attractions, with interest as we look forward to tourism coming back online in the future.
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Media: Stuff
Topic: Impact of emergency housing on Rotorua reputation
Enquiry
I've been asked to put something together on whether Rotorua's reputation as a visitor destination is being damaged, or could be damaged, by the use of motels for MSD clients, and of course the spin-off stories of anti-social behaviour, etc.
To this end I've been speaking to a number of academics who specialise in tourism/visitor experience to get their views on the matter (their views seem to be yes, no, or maybe for what it's worth!)
To this end I wanted to ask Steve:
A number of people I've spoken to have highlighted the importance of online reviews (TripAdvisor, etc). You can find online some shocking reviews for motels here, largely citing MSD people. I'm aware of course (and the story will note) the 'mixed model' has been scrapped - but someone reading these reviews likely won't know that.
Is this a concern?
It's also been mentioned to me we have in essence a two-tier motel system here at present, with a number of providers who now have no incentive to up their offering and raise their standards - is Steve worried about this long-term?
Oscar Nathan recently told a Tauranga audience the "accommodation issues" here present them with opportunities. Given how well he knows the sector, and Rotorua, is that a sign there are indeed problems here?
I've read the NERA Economic Consulting report for Restore Rotorua that looked into the effects of the Boulevard Motel being removed from the tourism/visitor space (attached here). It's a rather long way of saying less space for visitors/tourists will inevitably mean less visitor/tourism spending. With some 30-plus motels out of action, isn't that basic premise correct?
Lastly, does Steve believe Rotorua's reputation as a visitor hub has been damaged?
Response
From Mayor Steve Chadwick:
We have advocated strongly from the beginning against the long term use of motels for emergency housing and against mixed use by motels and we continue to do so.
I have raised our concerns with MSD Minister Sepuloni, asking that this be addressed and we have lobbied Minister Nash from a tourism and regional economic development perspective about the need to address the problem of unmanaged motels and seeking targeted economic support for Rotorua, given the significant impact on our tourism sector.
We still have plenty of accommodation available for visitors with more coming back on stream when MIQ is removed and there are still many great places for people to see, activities to do and hospitality offerings for visitors to enjoy.
The housing taskforce has led to MHUD contracting of some motels but we remain concerned about uncontracted motels including those taking both MSD clients and visitors which is impacting perceptions of Rotorua and our economy.
Housing and community safety are key priorities for this Council and there is a lot of work underway to address our critical housing shortage and alleviate social issues.
While we work on long term solutions to our housing crisis we need a variety of solutions in place in the meantime. However it needs to be well managed to protect those in need and to protect our wider community, our economy and our reputation as a destination.
Economic development and workforce development are also priorities and we are working with RED and others to better understand the current economic and workforce landscapes and identify opportunities to action.
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Media: Rotorua Weekender
Topic: Top Art 2022
Enquiry
I’m working on a story about Top Art 2022 and wondered if there is someone I could get a few comments from to add in?
- How many works are featured in this year’s exhibition? What sorts of art mediums are included?
- Why is having this exhibition on display in Rotorua a great opportunity? Why do you encourage people to check it out?
- What sort of response/feedback does the exhibition have when it comes to Rotorua each year
- Is there anything you would like to add?
- Is there a photo we would be able to use?
Response
From Emma Liley, Rotorua Museum Education Lead:
- How many works are featured in this year’s exhibition? (sorry we don’t know until arrives)
- What is Top Art? 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).
- What sorts of art mediums are included? Painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking and design. Most of the portfolios are shown on physical art boards but some students have elected to show their portfolio using moving image.
- Why is having this exhibition on display in Rotorua a great opportunity? It provides motivation and gives students an understanding of what is required to achieve Excellence or Scholarship in Visual Art at NCEA Level 3.
- Why do you encourage people to check it out? It gives people a chance see the work our talented youth are producing in schools in It is exciting to see how creative the youth of New Zealand are.
- What sort of response/feedback does the exhibition have when it comes to Rotorua each year? Visitors to the exhibition are in awe of the talent and creativity shown, and I know students use it as a great source of inspiration for their own portfolios.
- Is there anything you would like to add? This year the exhibition is only open at Rotorua Library, Te Aka Mauri, from midday Monday 14 March until midday Friday 25 March 2022 so make sure you don’t miss out! Visitors to Rotorua Library do require a vaccine pass for entry. For those that might not be able to attend the exhibition in person, images of all the portfolios will be posted on the Facebook @NZQATopArt (https://www.facebook.com/NZQATopArt)
- Are there any photos available? Photos attached of the Rotorua student’s artwork that has been included - Sydney Riley, (John Paul College).
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Media: Rotorua Weekender
Topic: Littering
Enquiry
I’m getting in touch as I’m working on a story this week which is also rubbish related, but from an angle of littering rather than recycling.
Age Concern has got in touch as one of their members goes for a walk every day and picks up rubbish on the way. In the past she would fill 3 bags – she now fills 6 bags. As a team they have noticed an increase in the amount of rubbish on the kerbside around Rotorua too, especially on Te Ngae Road heading and at Hemo Gorge.
Would I be able to get some comments from someone to the below questions?
- Has there been a noticeable increase in littering around the city and what sort of timeframe has an increase been noted within?
- What areas around the city often have a lot of littering? Do you think there are any particular reasons for this?
- Why is it important for people to take responsibility and cease littering? How does littering affect the community and environment?
- If community members what to help combat littering what could they do?
- Is there anything you would like to add?
Response
The following can be attributed to Prashant Praveen – Manager, Waste and Climate Change at Rotorua Lakes Council
Littering is a major problem around Aotearoa. Council regularly attends to reports of litter in public places.
Generally, throughout the year instances of littering are higher during Summer months when people spend more time outside.
On the road-sides of main routes and state highways are common litter hot-spots. Littering on roads from moving vehicles can incur high costs, as traffic management could be required to reduce risk to the staff or volunteers cleaning up the rubbish.
Litter can travel far when it is wind-blown. In general, littering is more common in popular public areas such as reserves and lakes. Some recent littering spots reported to council are at beaches at Lake Rotoma and Lake Okareka, the top of Mountain Road and Hannah’s Bay Reserve.
Council works alongside other agencies, such as Waka Kotahi, to minimise the adverse effects of littering through campaigns, and offers support to local advocacy groups organising litter clean ups.
Why is it important for people to take responsibility and cease littering? How does littering affect the community and environment?
Most people 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.
Litter can suffocate animals and wildlife, breakdown into micro-plastics and enter the food that people and animals eat.
Rotorua is a world-renowned tourist destination known for its natural beauty. Litter is not only a major environmental problem, but is also harmful to the city’s reputation.
If community members want to help combat littering what could they do? Is there anything you would like to add?
Council is proud to support a number of advocate groups who are dedicated to caring for the whenua by collecting litter or educating others on the importance of disposing of waste correctly.
Depending on the size and location of the clean-up event, Council can provide rubbish bags, gloves, high-visibility vests and other PPE, and free rubbish disposal, as well as support to access traffic management if the clean-up is on the roadside.
The community can help to minimise littering by encouraging family and friends to dispose of their rubbish responsibly in public bins, or taking it home to put in their household recycling or rubbish bins.