16 July 2026: Whangamoa papakāinga development, reserve damage

Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Whangamoa papakāinga development

Enquiry

From Local Democracy Reporter:

I am looking into the Whangamoa papakāinga development and concerns raised by nearby residents about the resource consent process.

• Can council confirm when the resource consent application for the first stage of the Whangamoa papakāinga development was lodged and approved?
• Can Council confirm what the first stage of the development consists of, including the number of dwellings approved?
• Why was the application processed on a non-notified basis?
• What Resource Management Act assessments did Council undertake when determining whether notification was required?
• Were neighbouring residents, including Whangamoa Drive residents, considered as potentially affected persons? If not, why not?
• Did Council receive correspondence from residents or their legal representatives before the consent decision was made raising concerns
• Were those concerns considered as part of Council’s notification assessment?
• Residents say they were unaware of the approval until after the appeal period had ended. Is this because the application was processed as non-notified, and is this consistent with Council’s usual process?
• Has Council received any formal indication that residents intend to seek judicial review of the consent decision?
• Were potential future stages of development, including references to a possible 150-dwelling development area, considered when assessing the effects of this application?

Response

We provided the following information:

We provided [this document] and noted this would answer some of the reporter’s enquiry and we provided the following additional information, nothing this could be attributed to Group Manager Destination Development Jean-Paul Gaston.

Re when the consent application for the first stage of the development was lodged and approved:

Lodged – 28/03/2025

Approved – 09/12/2025

Re residents say they were unaware of the approval until after the appeal period had ended. Is this because the application was processed as non-notified, and is this consistent with Council’s usual process?

Yes

Re any formal indication that residents intend to seek judicial review of the consent decision:

Council has received no formal notification of any judicial review being lodged with the High Court.

Re consideration of potential future stages of development:

Council can only consider the application in front of them. No application has been received for a 150-dwelling development area.

Regarding remaining questions:

See attached officers report

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Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Vehicle damage to Tikitapu reserve

Enquiry

I am hoping to get some comment from the best-placed staff member at Rotorua Lakes Council for a story on the deep tyre tracks and damage across the grassed reserve area at the Blue Lake. I've attached photographs taken this afternoon for reference.

Could you please advise:

• Whether the council is aware of the damage and, if so, how and when it became aware of it.
• How and when the incident/damage occurred
• Whether any repairs or remediation work are planned/needed
• Whether this is a common occurrence at the Blue Lake or in other reserves across the district - if so, how often and what action council typically takes in response.
• Any other information council can provide about the incident.

Response

From Group Manager Community Services Alex Wilson:

This was not reported to the council and was not there when the reserve was last mowed three weeks ago so we can’t be certain when it happened.

This area is sometimes used for event parking and some damage can occur as a result, depending on weather conditions, but there have been no recent events so this appears to have been caused by individuals who have managed to access the area. So that is really disappointing.

In terms of reinstating the reserve, some work will be needed to smooth out the damage and then new grass seed will need to be sown when temperatures warm up.

Damage from vehicles that illegally access reserves does occur from time to time, mostly during winter when the grass is soft. If detected early, these instances are reported to the police.

It's always disappointing to see damage of this nature occurring at our reserves.

Tikitapu is a much-loved community asset and an important recreational destination for both locals and visitors so acts like this not only damage public spaces but also affect the experience of everyone who enjoys them.

It also creates unnecessary work and costs to repair the damage.

This particular incident has been reported to police. Anyone who witnesses similar behaviour is encouraged to record any identifying details, where it is safe to do so, and report the matter to police.