10 December 2024
Media: Rotorua Daily Post, Stuff and RNZ
Topic: Fatal crash SH5
Enquiry
Mayor Tapsell was asked to comment on last night’s fatal car crash just south of Rotorua on SH5.
Mayor Tapsell was asked to comment on the SH5 car crash by Stuff, RNZ, and RDP. Her comments can be found in the following two articles. Stuff has not yet published their story, but her remarks were similar.
Response
Radio NZ article:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/536197/four-people-killed-in-crash-on-sh5-two-in-hospital
Stuff has yet to publish its story
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Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: ASB's latest regional economic scorecard
Enquiry
I'm whipping up a story on the latest ASB regional economic scorecard that was released today.
In case you haven't seen it, here's the Bay of Plenty section from the report:
The Bay of Plenty climbed up three spots to share 9th position on the Scoreboard with Waikato.
A bumper kiwifruit season might have driven this improvement for the Bay in the third quarter.
Improvements in car registrations and consumer confidence were key drivers for Bay of Plenty’s rise in the rankings.
Annual car registrations increased by 9%, compared to the 6% national average, and consumer confidence lifted significantly, although it remained below the national average.
Employment in the Bay remained almost flat (-0.4% annually), aligning with the weak labour market nationwide.
The housing market showed mixed results: house sales rose by 9.1% annually, above the 7.4% national gain, while house prices dropped by 0.6% annually, close to the 0.4% drop nationally.
Meanwhile, the construction sector saw a significant decline (-24.5% annually, compared to 1.7% nationally), mostly driven by non-residential consents.
Direction: The Bay of Plenty has seen favourable conditions for kiwifruit, with both quality and quantity showing promise. We are hopeful for another excellent season, supporting the region’s exports. Additionally, improved dairy prices and potential interest rate cuts are expected to boost the economy. However, challenges remain, such as the slower pace of tourism recovery and uncertain prospects for economic growth among NZ’s major trading partners.
I'd like to get some comment from the most appropriate person at the council in regards to this report - the stuff that's most relevant to council operations is obviously the decline in construction activity, which has been attributed to fewer non-residential consents.
But if there's anything else in the report someone would like to speak to as well then I'm all for it!
Response
Reporter was referred to RotoruaNZ, as our economic development and tourism CCO
