8 Jan 2026: Government Gardens bowling green

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Unmown Government Gardens bowling green

Enquiry

Rotorua photographer Tracey Scott has approached the Rotorua Daily Post after she visited the Government Gardens on Monday to take some photographs for a project she is working on, and says she is "shocked" by the state of some of the lawns, with overgrown grasses in some spots "up to her waist".

Ms Scott said she has lived in Rotorua all her life and described the overgrown lawns as an "eye-sore" which would have an impact on visitors.

She said she understands the museum is temporarily closed, but the overgrown lawns were right in front of the museum and about 100 metres from the band rotunda, regularly visited by thousands of locals, domestic visitors, and overseas tourists.

"The Government Gardens are a huge tourist drawcard, particularly at this time of year. I have been taking photographs at the Government Gardens for more than 30 years, and I have never seen the lawns in this state before. It's totally unacceptable. "

Scott said the bowling lawns were in immaculate condition and questioned why these lawns were not receiving the same attention, and also questioned whether there were plans by Rotorua Lakes Council to redevelop the space into something else.

I am seeking the Rotorua Lakes Council's response to Ms Scott's complaint?

Q1. Can the council explain the reason why the lawns got into this state?

Q2. What is this space used for and does the council have plans to redevelop it for another use?

Response

We provided the following information:

The area Ms Scott took a photo of is one of three bowling greens that are leased and maintained by the Rotorua Bowling Club.

We encourage people to lodge complaints and queries with the council through our customer service centre to ensure efficiency and responsiveness.

Areas in the Government Gardens for which the council is responsible are maintained regularly, depending on weather and growth.

*NOTE: When we received the enquiry on Wednesday 7 January we checked the bowling green in question and noted that it had been mowed since the photo was taken. We informed the reporter, who is not based in Rotorua, of this yesterday (Wednesday).