10 July 2024
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Council access to NZTA CCTV cameras
Enquiry
I was wondering if [Mayor] Tania [Tapsell] would be happy sharing with me the correspondence she has had with the ministers and NZTA chair about the cameras? (Inc replies) Can imagine this would have a big impact on the council/police community safety work and would be good to have a clear understanding of the issue. Would of course welcome any comment about why it's important and what losing access would mean, or anything else on the topic.
Response
The letters requested were provided (see below) for the reporter's reference.
*Letter to Hon Simon Bridges, chair of NZTA board, from Mayor Tapsell
*Letter to Police Minister Mark Mitchell, from Mayor Tapsell
Comment from Mayor Tania Tapsell:
CCTV cameras are a crucial tool in stopping and reducing crime. Having access to the New Zealand Transport Agency’s CCTV network has been vital to ensuring those who commit crime are caught.
We are really concerned about the potential impact of losing local access to these CCTV cameras. I’ve written to New Zealand Transport Agency and also given a heads up to the Minister of Transport and Minister of Police of the disastrous consequences of these decisions.
Replacing and duplicating them would be a massive and unnecessary cost to ratepayers.
We acknowledge the New Zealand Transport Agency’s privacy obligations regarding these cameras. However, it’s important to emphasise that we’re using them only to track vehicles that have been involved in crime or are registered as stolen.
Rotorua has a zero tolerance for crime, and these cameras are important for ensuring a safer community. We strongly urge Ministers to ensure that our local access to these cameras is maintained.
Community safety remains a top priority for Council and I’m proud of the positive progress we’ve made to deliver locally led, and practical solutions like the Inner City Community Safety Hub. We don’t want to go backwards because of poor and unreasonable decisions from Government agencies who should also be focused on helping out to create safe places for everyone.
