14 Oct 2026: Kura expansion opposition, District Plan change

Media: Aukaha News, Te Karere, Radio NZ

Topic: Opposition to expansion of kura near airport

Enquiry

The above media requested interviews with Mayor Tapsell about the Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata consent

Response

Mayor Tapsell was interviewed by the three outlets

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Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Opposition to expansion of kura near airport

Enquiry

This is a follow-on from the enquiry at the end of last week. Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata PR attached.

You may have seen the kura released a statement today regarding the ongoing consent issue.

Looking for a ROR before publishing anything in there, specifically the following questions:

• The kura is calling on Rotorua Lakes Council, as owner of Rotorua Airport, to intervene and ask the airport to withdraw its opposition. Will the council do so?
• Does the council support the airport's decision to oppose the development, or does it regard this as an operational matter for the airport company?
• Councillor Te Rika Temara-Benfell has publicly questioned the airport's position. Has the issue been discussed by elected members or the council as shareholder?
• Does the council believe a council-owned airport should be opposing an expansion intended to meet growing demand for Māori-medium education?
• What weight does the council place on the historical context raised by the kura regarding land acquisition for airport development?
• Is the council considering any role in facilitating discussions between the airport, the kura and the Ministry of Education before the hearing?

Have also attached the PR, in case there are other points you would like to raise in response.

Response

From RLC as consenting authority:

We provided the points below as clarification and explanation of council's role as the consenting authority.

• Council is not in a position to comment on the merits of a submitter's position while an active resource consent process is underway.
• Rotorua Lakes Council's role in relation to the resource consent application is a regulatory one under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).
• Council is required under the Act to administer the resource consent process in a fair, impartial and legally compliant manner. This means Council must assess the application and any submissions on their planning merits and make decisions in accordance with the RMA and relevant planning documents.
• A consenting authority must assess all actual and potential effects of a resource consent application, including both direct and indirect effects, to determine how the proposal may impact multiple parties, communities, and the wider environment, and whether those effects require mitigation or consideration through the consent process.
• Because Council has a statutory decision-making role, it must remain independent and cannot predetermine the outcome of the consent process or seek to influence the position of parties participating in that process.

From Rotorua Airport Chief Executive Nicole Brewer:

“Rotorua Airport recognises how important the kura is to its tamariki, whānau and the wider community, and we continue to support its growth in principle. Our decision is not a reflection on the kura or its kaupapa,” says Airport Chief Executive, Nicole Brewer.

“As a neighbour, Rotorua Airport was identified as an affected party in the resource consent application for proposed developments at the kura.

“We have legal obligations under Health and Safety and Civil Aviation laws to consider how airport operations could impact the safety of those on the ground.

“Our initial safety assessment identified a number of unresolved safety issues relating to this, and as such the Airport declined to provide affected party approval. Declining to provide affected party approval does not mean the Airport opposes the development.

“It means that the decision will now go to an independent hearing, which we believe is the appropriate next step in this case.

“This is a complex situation and we believe an independent decision, considering all available information – including aviation safety and the considerations of the kura – is the best way forward.

“We welcome the opportunity to review any aviation assessments the kura has available, and also look forward to reviewing the independent aeronautical assessment being commissioned by the Ministry of Education,” Brewer says.

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Media: Radio NZ

Topic: Opposition to kura expansion near Rotorua Airport

Enquiry

I'm getting in touch with a few questions about the statement released by Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata on its planned expansion and dispute with Rotorua Airport.

• Has the council engaged Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata on this issue?
• Is Rotorua Lakes Council, as the owner of Rotorua Airport, planning to take an active role in resolving the dispute?
• Now that Rotorua Airport has declined to approve the school expansion what is the next step in the process?
• Would anyone from the council be available for a pre-recorded interview with me to discuss this, or if that is not possible could a statement be provided.
• If possible could you provide a response by midday Wednesday 14 October.

Further to that I would like to put some questions directly to Rotorua Airport as well could you provide me with an appropriate point of contact.

Response

From RLC:

Council provided the clarification and explanation above.

From Rotorua Airport Chief Executive Nicole Brewer:

As a neighbour, Rotorua Airport was identified as an affected person for a resource consent application from the Ministry of Education, to Rotorua Lakes Council, about proposed developments at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata.

The application includes proposed site developments at the kura and increasing its roll to 228 students.

“Rotorua Airport recognises how important the kura is to its tamariki, whānau and the wider community, and, as we indicated in our initial response to the consent application, we support its growth in principle,” Nicole Brewer, Rotorua Airport CEO, says.

“We have legal obligations under Health and Safety and Civil Aviation laws, which include assessing how airport operations could impact the safety of those on the ground.

"We take these obligations extremely seriously, and followed a thorough process to understand the potential risks in the context of the legislation, drawing on the expertise of international aviation regulations and external consultants.

“Our initial safety assessment identified several unresolved safety matters which meant the Airport was unable to provide affected-party approval.

“This does not mean the Airport opposes the development, and being unable to provide affected-party approval is absolutely not a reflection on the kura or its kaupapa.

“What it means is that the proposed development and final decisions will now go to an independent hearing, which we believe is the appropriate next step in this case.

“This is a complex situation, and the best way forward will be an independent decision that considers all available information, weighed against the obvious benefits the kura provides to whānau and the community,” Brewer says.

“We welcome the opportunity to review any aviation assessments the kura has available, and look forward to the independent aeronautical assessment commissioned by the Ministry of Education.

“We are seeking further input from external advisers and will continue to work with the Ministry of Education, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata and Rotorua Lakes Council to support this process.”

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Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Proposed Plan Change and its impact on emergency housing

Enquiry

I am following up on evidence presented during yesterday's Proposed Plan Change 10 hearing relating to emergency housing accommodation in Rotorua motels.

During the hearing, it was stated that fewer than 24 emergency housing clients are currently being accommodated in Rotorua motels at any one time, with an average stay of about 3.9 weeks.

Could council please respond to the following questions:

• Does council agree that fewer than 24 emergency housing clients are currently being accommodated in Rotorua motels at any one time? If not, what does council understand the current figure to be?
• How do current emergency housing numbers compare with the peak of Rotorua's emergency housing crisis?
• Does council regard the reduction in emergency housing motel use as a significant milestone for Rotorua?
• At the hearing, discussion centred on whether emergency housing accommodation provided through motels falls within the district plan's visitor accommodation provisions. What is council's current interpretation of those provisions?
• Has uncertainty around the planning status of emergency housing accommodation in motels created any consenting, compliance or enforcement issues for council?
• Does council consider the district plan would benefit from provisions that specifically address emergency housing accommodation?
• What practical implications, if any, could the commissioner's decision on this issue have for motel operators, emergency housing providers and the wider community?
• More broadly, how would council describe the current state of emergency housing in Rotorua compared with the situation seen several years ago?

Response

From RLC -

Please refer these two questions to MCERT as they will hold the latest official numbers of emergency housing clients.

• Does council agree that fewer than 24 emergency housing clients are currently being accommodated in Rotorua motels at any one time? If not, what does council understand the current figure to be?
• How do current emergency housing numbers compare with the peak of Rotorua's emergency housing crisis?

From Jean-Paul Gaston, Group Manager - Destination Development

The purpose of Plan Change 10 is to improve the clarity, consistency and usability of the Rotorua District Plan.

While it would be pre-emptive to comment on specific implications before the Commissioner has issued a decision, Plan Change 10 does not expressly remove the use of motels for emergency housing.

Intermittent use of visitor accommodation for emergency generally raises few issues and has always part of our housing system. Issues have arisen when there is a larger scale, dedicated residential use of visitor accommodation. The proposal is to apply a fact-based assessment in each case so that the suitability of the facility can be considered more carefully.

Note: Converting a motel unit to a residential unit currently requires a Resource Consent.

From Rotorua Mayor, Tania Tapsell -

"I'm proud of how far Rotorua has come, the days of the emergency housing disaster are now well and truly behind us.

“At its worst, we had 62 motels being used to accommodate hundreds of families and children, which was reduced to around two motels. This was a huge achievement and reflects the collaborative work to deliver better housing solutions from council, government agencies, iwi, service providers and our wider community.

“We don't take this for granted though and acknowledge an appropriate level of safe and well managed emergency housing is still needed. The proposed district plan provisions are designed to support the delivery of this.

“We want to make sure we don't go backwards and now that the work has been done to fix a major problem, we're also focused on long-term solutions that help prevent homelessness in the first place and delivering better housing outcomes for our community."