27 August 2026: Ranolf Trust properties, Redwoods sculpture

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Properties owned by Ranolf Trust

Enquiry

I'm just touching base to see what involvement the council has had recently, or plans to have, with regards to landlords Stephen and Jasu Bhana, operating under the Ranolf Trust.

I have covered some Tenancy Tribunal cases in the past couple of months relating to their conduct and specifically the flats at Ranolf St.

I know the council previously deemed them Dangerous and Insanitary under the Building Act (I recall writing those stories many years ago), but I was wondering whether there are any such orders on those flats now?

I have received the below comment from Meredith Herbert, Community Law Centre lawyer who has acted on behalf of the tenants in many of these tribunal decisions. She says the following:

We have recently been in dialogue with the Council in relation to two specific properties we notified them of last year as likely to be in a dangerous and insanitary condition, and investigations are underway. According to the Council, the threshold for being dangerous and insanitary is quite high, and many of the issues with Stephen and Jasu Bhana’s properties are a failure of maintenance, and not within the Council’s remit. We would argue that the majority of Stephen and Jasu Bhana’s properties are in states of disrepair, and it would be good if all their rental properties were subject to proactive Council inspection to determine whether they meet the dangerous and insanitary criteria.

In light of her comments, can you please answer the following questions.

1. What is the council process in terms of inspecting properties suspected to be unsafe?
2. Are any of the Bhana properties currently deemed dangerous and insanitary under the Building Act?
3. When did the council last inspect the Ranolf St flats? How often are they inspected? Is it just when complaints are made?
4. What do you say to Meredith Herbert's comment that the council should be more proactive when it comes to the Bhanas' properties, given their history.
5. When did the council last deem these flats dangerous and insanitary?
6. The Bhanas' landlord practices have been widely criticised in Tenancy Tribunal decisions. What, if anything, can the council do to ensure they are compliant?
7. Feel free to add anything else you think might be helpful.

Response

From Group Manager - Destination Development, Jean-Paul Gaston:

Following a health-related complaint, Rotorua Lakes Council inspected five units on Ranolf Street owned by Stephen and Jasu Bhana between 17 and 25 August 2026.

Following the inspections, Council advised the complainant that the properties did not meet the high threshold for classification as dangerous or insanitary under the Building Act. However, some maintenance issues were identified. We also advised them that three of the units requested be inspected were unoccupied and being used for furniture storage.

Council investigates reports of potentially dangerous, affected or insanitary buildings in accordance with our Dangerous, Affected and Insanitary Buildings Policy 2025 and will continue to respond to information received from the community.

Council deemed the buildings insanitary in 2017. We issued one building consent for repairs to three buildings with contain four units each in response to the notices. Of these 12 units, nine have been repaired over time to a standard that at the time of inspection permitted the occupancy of these individual units.

Note to reporter: Please click the above link to see council's Dangerous, Affected and Insanitary Buildings Policy

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Return of Redwoods sculptures after repairs

Enquiry

We understand the “Walk in the Redwoods” sculpture is back in place after vandalism repair work by Mr Tissink.

Good news!

Are council able to provide a wee bit of information including:

1 How was the sculpture vandlised and when did it happen?

2. Was anyone arrested or charged?

3. How long did repairs work take and how much did they cost?

4. Have any new security measures been put in place around the sculpture?

5. Do council have any photos of the vandalism/ repaired sculpture?

Response

We provided the following information:

Regarding your media enquiry, I can clarify that the damage was initially assessed as vandalism. However, after further investigation, it is now believed to have been weather-related, caused by flying debris in the forest.

Repairs cost $7,801 and took about eight weeks to complete. Since then, the area around the sculpture has been pruned to help prevent future issues and improve visibility for visitors.

If you decide to run a story, you are welcome to attribute this information to a Council spokesperson. I have also attached a photo of the sculpture; please credit the image to Rotorua Lakes Council.