22 December 2021
Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: Tourism and the CBD
Enquiry
I am doing a story on the city's CBD and tourism.
Hospitality New Zealand Bay of Plenty president Reg Hennessy said Rotorua's reputation was ''ruined'' and drunk homeless people still littered the CBD intimidating people. He has blamed the RLC and government for denying there was a problem, which in his view happened four years ago and Rotorua has now become a dumping ground for homeless people who are holed in motels. He said the impact on his business and the hospitality sector had been horrible and it will take years to bounce back from this terminal situation. In his opinion people will only want to do day trips to Rotorua. He supports the regeneration of the CBD but says that talk has also been going on for years. Fyi I will be speaking to others but wanted to get these criticisms in early for a response and I have some questions.
What is RLC doing in the CBD to help people feel safe from others who are intimidating them or who are drunk or on drugs?
According to feedback from your security guard contractors is there still a problem around safety in the CBD and how does it compare to last year - and what are most of the safety concerns regarding?
Does RLC think the number of homeless people and those living in emergency motels could have an impact on the tourist season this year - why or why not?
What initiatives has the RLC adopted this year to regenerate the CBD and what is on the cards for next year?
Response
From Council’s Manager – Community and Regulatory Services, Kurt Williams:
Community safety is a key priority in Council’s 2021-31 Long-term Plan with additional resourcing allocated and expansion of services underway.
[see more about Council’s plans to expand community safety initiatives HERE]
General observations from our patrollers and the Police, is that from a safety perspective things are quieter in the CBD this year compared to last year.
Council continues to work closely with Police and other key safety stakeholders to respond to, and reduce, anti-social and criminal behaviour through activities like vehicle and foot patrols, CCTV monitoring, and public education.
Patrols and CCTV monitoring have now shifted to a summer roster, focusing more intently on hours of busiest public activity. Foot and vehicle security patrols are operating seven days a week. Security cameras located throughout the city are also being monitored seven days a week, and Council’s mobile CCTV trailer is being used throughout the district as an additional tool to help address concerns, act as a deterrent, and provide information to Council and the Police.
All staff on the ground – Guardians and security firm partners – have direct communication links with staff monitoring the city’s CCTV network and with Police, to address issues that arise.
People should report anti-social, suspicious and criminal behaviour to Police by calling 111 for urgent matters and 105 for non-urgent matters.
Regarding plans for the CBD, see below which is information provided to you in October re plans for the CBD and work that is underway. This is still up to date and our position has not changed from this previous statement from Deputy Chief Executive, District Development, Jean-Paul Gaston:
Work on foundational pieces that will help guide the development of a refreshed revitalisation plan for Rotorua’s CBD are underway
Several key pieces of work need to be completed before a proposed plan can be developed:
- working with mana whenua and Te Arawa on cultural foundations;
- development of an inner city design guide for urban development (the initial step for which is establishing the cultural foundations and Te Arawa values and principles that will inform the future form of the inner city);
- working on an incentives policy to encourage commercial and residential development in the inner city.
A steering group will lead and assist with work related to 1 and 2 (above) and an initial exploratory workshop will be held with the Rotorua Business Chamber to explore options for the incentives policy work.
Another key foundational piece, that has been completed, is a review of all previous CBD plans to extract elements that have been consistent across these to provide a framework as a starting point for a new plan.
The high level framework has been shared with some key stakeholders and partners and there will be further and wider engagement and consultation in future.
The previously completed review of the CBD transport network will also form part of considerations for development of a plan.
Meanwhile our CCO Rotorua Economic Development Ltd (RED) has progressed work to find investors who want to undertake projects in the inner city that support inner city living.