17 Sept 2026: Contribution of international students, FOGO rollout

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Contribution of international students to Rotorua

Enquiry

I met with Education New Zealand chief executive David Downs yesterday in Rotorua, as I am writing a story about an ENZ survey about international student expenditure in New Zealand.

The survey showed the Bay of Plenty recorded the highest estimated annual expenditure per international student of any region in New Zealand at about $60,895 per student.

This compared to the national average of $45,776.

ENZ mentioned Mayor Tapsell would be interested in providing some comment for the story. I am seeking a response to the below questions:

• How would you describe the value international students bring to Rotorua, socially and economically?
• Why do you think Rotorua is an attractive place for international students?

Please feel free to add anything further of importance or relevance

Response

From Rotorua Mayor, Tania Tapsell:

International students have been valuable to Rotorua and we're really proud that our country and community are places of choice for a great education and lifestyle.

We've welcomed many international students and appreciate their value and contribution to our local economy, socially and also financially. They bring a great diversity to our communities through their cultures, skills and ideas.

It is humbling hearing from international students that they appreciate the safe and friendly manaaki of our locals, as well as our beautiful natural environment and unique cultural experiences.

We hope to continue being a top destination of choice as a place to live, study and enjoy memorable experiences.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Upcoming introduction of food and green organic (FOGO) waste collection service

Enquiry

Just working on a story about the community perspective on the FOGO rollout, from the positive to the negative.

I also want a council response to a few qs. Got the PR from the other day but just a few other things I could use an answer to.

• Some residents say they were charged for a full year of the FOGO service despite delays in bin deliveries and the rollout. How many households were affected, and will council consider any rebate or rates adjustment?
• Residents who already compost at home have questioned why they are paying for the service. What is council's response to those ratepayers, and was any opt-out option considered?
• The move to fortnightly red-bin collections has raised concerns about overflowing rubbish, particularly for larger households. What monitoring has council done to assess the impact, and what feedback has it received so far?
• Council has undertaken a significant marketing and education campaign for FOGO. How much has been spent on promotion, advertising and public education, and how is council measuring whether that investment has been effective?
• What are the key success measures for the first year of the programme? For example, are there targets around participation rates, contamination levels or diverting waste from landfill?
• Given some public opposition to the rollout, does council believe it still has community buy-in for the programme, and what would council say to residents who view FOGO as an unnecessary cost during a cost-of-living crunch?

Response

From Rotorua Lakes Council Waste and Climate Change Manager, Craig Goodwin:

Council recognises the cost-of-living pressures facing households and understands not everyone is supportive of the service change. However, we have identified that food and garden waste make up a significant portion of household rubbish, and diverting this material from landfill will help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, help constrain escalating waste management costs driven by landfilling taxes, lower emissions to the environment, and support more sustainable long term waste management for Rotorua.

The delay affected about 27,000 properties scheduled to receive the new FOGO service. While collections will now start on 1 October rather than 1 July, the FOGO rate covers the full cost of establishing and delivering the service, including bin purchases, system setup, communications, contracts and other implementation costs, many of which have already been incurred.

Rates are set annually to fund the overall cost of the service rather than the number of collections provided, so Council is unable to offer a rebate or rates adjustment for the delayed start period. For the period of delay Council continued to provide weekly waste collection and incurring that higher level of service costs.

Like other council services, properties within the service area contribute to the overall cost of providing the collective service regardless of individual variation use. Council will continue to support home composting, with FOGO providing an additional option for food scraps and other materials that can be difficult to compost at home.

Waste audits showed that food and garden waste make up more than half of the material currently going into household rubbish bins. This evidence informed community consultation in 2022, where 85% of respondents supported an organics collection service and most also supported moving to fortnightly rubbish collections alongside it.

Under the new system, households will have slightly more total weekly waste collection capacity than they do now, with food and garden waste collected separately through the new FOGO service.

Council will continue to monitor customer feedback following the rollout and if necessary, adjust the services. Households requiring additional capacity can request larger or additional rubbish bins, which remain available for a fee.

Much of the promotional campaign has been developed and delivered in-house. Council has also received funding from the Ministry for the Environment's Waste Levy Fund to support waste education and behaviour change initiatives. As the campaign is still underway, final promotion and advertising costs are not yet available and will be confirmed once the campaign concludes in December.

Effectiveness of information and education will be measured through a range of indicators, including website traffic, social media reach and engagement, customer enquiries, bin delivery outcomes, participation rates, contamination levels, the amount of organic material diverted from landfill, customer feedback, and operational performance.