16 Jan 2026: Closure of Tower Insurance office in Rotorua

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Closure of Tower Insurance office in Rotorua

Enquiry

I am writing a story about Tower Insurance announcing plans to close its Rotorua office - Business Desk reported on it yesterday and I am awaiting a response from Tower with more information.

Business Desk reported the proposal would result in 46 roles being cut, and the changes "are part of the company's ongoing digital transformation, focusing on efficiency and streamlining operations".

It reported the proposal was to discontinue permanent work-from-home customer-facing contact centre roles, and not renew the lease on the Rotorua office.

Tower is proposing to transition some technical, non‑customer‑facing roles based in the Rotorua office to permanent work‑from‑home positions.

Tower said a range of options will be available, including roles available in Auckland, relocation support, redundancy where applicable, and access to career development and wellbeing services.

I am seeking a statement from Mayor Tapsell for the story:

• What concerns do you have about this proposed closure?
• What impact could this number of job losses have on Rotorua if it goes ahead?

Response

From Rotorua Mayor, Tania Tapsell –

“We really feel for any local workers that may be impacted and hope that they're able to transition well into other opportunities that are here in Rotorua.

“As a Council we're continuing to invest in our inner city and to support economic development. Our organisation RotoruaNZ partners with the Rotorua Business Chamber to undertake regular surveys and that shows that overall businesses are feeling strong confidence for the next twelve months.

“Although it's very sad to see the proposal from Tower Insurance, we're still ambitious for the future of Rotorua. Council is working hard to support local jobs, and we're focused on more positive change and exciting investment for the inner city in the near future.”