15 December 2021
Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: Weather-related calls
Enquiry
We’re looking for some information on this crazy weather we’ve been having, and we were hoping you could answer some questions for us.
- Have river and stream levels been impacted by the rain we’ve been having overnight and/or over the past couple of days? What are current river and stream levels looking like?
- Has the council been made aware of any significant weather-related incidents within the past couple of days? If so, what was the nature of these incidents?
- What advice would the council offer to citizens dealing with the current weather conditions?
Response
The following information was provided this morning:
For all river / stream related enquiries, you would need to contact Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
You can find our latest weather related update on our website here.
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Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: COVID-19 in Lakes DHB district
Enquiry
I'm working on a story for tomorrow's newspaper about the spread of Covid-19 in the Lakes DHB.
We have received the following information from the Ministry of Health.
- The source of infection for the first cases reported in Lakes is still being investigated.
- Confirmed and probable cases have been reported from approximately 10 different suburbs across the Lakes district.
- The majority of cases have been reported in the urban centres of Rotorua and Taupō.
- Virus transmission has been mostly among close contacts in social groups and households.
The reporter further explained:
it's really just a story outlining the web of cases throughout the district. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Health wouldn't go into pinpoint detail about where each case was but did highlight most were in urban Rotorua and Taupō.
What the stuff from the Ministry tells me is that numbers are pretty low here compared to nearby Bay of Plenty DHB where it's in 26 suburbs.
I was hoping the council might be able to provide some thoughts on how the Rotorua Lakes have responded since the first cases appeared - in Taupō on Nov 12 but Rotorua soon after.
Response
From Deputy Rotorua Mayor Dave Donaldson:
The number of cases in the Lakes DHB region is small to date but it shouldn’t be a surprise that we have cases locally and there will be more in future. That’s why vaccination is so crucial. It’s our best personal protection and the best way to minimise the impact on our people, our health system and our local economy.
Rotorua is open for business and for visitors and our operators will play their part by ensuring they are operating as safely as possible.
Work to get our vaccination rates up is ongoing and I’d like to acknowledge the great work various organisations and iwi are doing in that space.
If you’re already vaccinated, please encourage others to do the same and when you’re out and about this summer remember to scan, wear a mask, stay home if you’re not well, get tested if you have COVID symptoms and get your information about COVID from official sources.