14 May 2024
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Proposed job cuts at Scion
Enquiry
I am writing up on the proposed job cuts at Scion and was wanting to ask for some general comment as to the impact the institute has in Rotorua?
How does Scion impact on visitor experience and the tourism industry?
How does it impact on the attractiveness of the district as a place to live and work?
What work does the council/RotoruaNZ do in positioning Rotorua as a Centre of Excellence in forestry and wood processing? And how does Scion play into this?
Forest futures action plan?
How would the proposed job cuts impact on these?
How important is the forestry industry to the Rotorua economy and how does Scion contribute to this?
Has the council or RotoruaNZ funded Scion in any way in the past five years and for what?
Any other comment?
This story is of significance to the public and I am aiming to get a clear view of any impacts this may have.
Response
In a phone interview Mayor Tapsell provided the following comments:
SCION plays such an important role in the future of Rotorua’s forestry industry
I have empathy for SCION going through this and saddened for those staff impacted
This reflects what many organisations, big and small, throughout New Zealand are having to go through at the moment in order to find efficiencies
Rotorua is a centre of excellence in forestry, with the industry contributing over $300million GDP per year to the district, I’m sure SCION will be making smart decisions for the future to ensure Rotorua remains an industry leader
Change is always challenging but it provides the opportunity to reset and realign, as well as the chance to ensure the best outcomes are being delivered
I hope for certainty at SCION soon so Rotorua can continue to support forestry research and the biotech industry
SCION has incredibly highly qualified staff, attracting talent from all over the world – I hope if needed there will still be opportunities for this talent to continue to grow locally in Rotorua
From RLC organisation:
We noted that as a Crown entity, Scion received its funding from the Government and confirmed RLC has not provided funding to Scion in the last five years.
We noted that the RLC organisation had nothing to add to what Mayor Tapsell had covered off in her interview.
From RotoruaNZ:
RotoruaNZ does not fund Scion.
You can attribute the following comment to Andrew Wilson, Chief Executive RotoruaNZ:
“Scion is a significant contributor to the Rotorua economy and plays an important role nationally as the country transitions to a low carbon economy. Scion’s broader campus, is home to the Te Papa Tipu Innovation Park, where a growing number of innovative businesses are choosing to base themselves alongside Scion’s world leading scientists.
“RotoruaNZ will continue working with Scion on a range of partnership projects such as the ongoing growth of the Innovation Park, delivery of the forestry futures action plan, and new business opportunities associated with circular bio-economy work. All of these projects are orientated towards job creation and help to strengthen Rotorua as a global centre of excellence for forestry and wood processing.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Dumping at charity stores
Enquiry
I am writing a story about illegal dumping at second-hand charity shops across the Bay of Plenty and what it costs these charities in disposal fees and the penalties for doing so.
My questions for the council are as follows:
Q1. Does the council give any funding to the district's charity shops to help subsidise the costs of disposing of illegally dumped rubbish left at their stores? if so , how much annually is given and how many stores are receiving funding?
Q2. What does this funding cover and how much tonnage of illegal dumping across those stores is disposed of, if those figures are available?
Q3. Can the council describe the scale of the problem and how does the council feel about this nasty dirty problem?
Q4, In terms of enforcement measures, what is the penalty for illegal dumping unwanted items and rubbish (literally) at Rotorua Lakes charity stores and how many people have been fined or prosecuted for doing so in the past two to three years?
Q5. What is the council's message to the wider community about this illegal anti-social behaviour?
Response
We provided the following:
Information:
Council deals with illegal dumping on public land but has no jurisdiction to deal with incidents of dumping on private property. These matters can be reported to the Police.
Illegal dumping and littering are governed by the Litter Act 1979.
You would need to speak with those who run charity stores regarding the extent of dumping of items for them.
Comment from Craig Goodwin, Manager Waste and Climate Change:
Unfortunately, there are always people who choose to not do the right thing and illegal dumping in any location is a concern.
We encourage people to do the right thing – illegal dumping costs the community where it happens in public places and in the case of dumping of items outside charity stores, which they ask people to not do, the cost of getting rid of it falls on these organisations.
We have not had any recent requests from local charity stores in relation to dumping outside their stores although we know this does happen. It is not a nice situation to deal with for anyone and in the past, we have helped with removal. We deal with such instances on a case-by-case basis.
Anyone wanting advice about illegal dumping or wanting to report incidents of illegal dumping on public land can phone Council on 07 348 4199.
