24 May 2021
Media: Stuff
Topic: Emergency accommodation
Enquiry
I've received an OIA response from the MSD after asking how many Rotorua motels have been used for emergency accommodation purposes here - the total is 67.
I wanted to ask Steve:
Is she surprised at this number, or is it largely as expected?
Also does she think the raft of measures announced from Government last week (Government to directly contract motels, end of mixed-use facilities, etc) will ease some of the concerns that have been raised around this issue, particularly around anti-social behaviour?
Wanted to ask another question, linked to my request for comment from Steve re the motels use here.
I've spoken to Rotorua Motels Association chair Mike Gallagher and he reckons there are 69 motels in Rotorua in total.
I'd like to get a former idea on exactly how many motels are in Rotorua so wondered if council could provide a number?
Response
We noted that the 67 motels that during the time specified in MSD’s response were being used for emergency accommodation purposes aren’t necessarily all Rotorua motels.
Reporter was informed Council does not have a motel database so does not have an official number for the reporter in that regard.
We provided the link [HERE] to the Mayor’s 13 May statement in response to the Ministers’ recent announcement about emergency housing actions to be taken in Rotorua in case the reporter had not previously seen it.
From Mayor Steve Chadwick:
The actions on emergency housing that were announced recently by Ministers Woods and Sepuloni following work with Council, iwi and other Rotorua partners, are a good start. They will replace the previous ad hoc arrangements with something that will enable better control and should therefore alleviate some of the issues of concern for our community, as well as providing more suitable emergency housing for those in need.
These measures will provide the building blocks to addressing the long-term housing pipeline we need and we won’t stop advocating or working with Government and other partners to get the solutions our community needs.
We are continuing to progress with the actions set out in our housing plan [He Papakāinga, He Hāpori Tuarikura – Te Poupu Rautaki – Homes and Thriving Communities Strategic Framework], in collaboration with our partners, to get new housing underway as soon as possible.
We’ve always said, and everybody agrees, that motels are not the long-term solution for housing.
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Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Terax
Enquiry
I have some questions for Steve regarding Terax.
- What is your view of the Terax project now it has wound up?
- What is your view of the council's $6.7m investment in it?
- What did Rotorua get out of Terax, in your view?
- Do you expect the council will ever see a financial return from Terax (through commercialisation)?
In what way do you think the spending on Terax affects the council's bottom line today, and therefore its ability to serve residents and ratepayers?
Response
From Mayor Steve Chadwick:
Council and Scion’s Terax partnership began well before my time at council, with discussions as far back as 2005, so I can’t speak to earlier decisions but the company set up to commercialise the technology was the right mechanism. They followed some promising leads which, ultimately, did not come to fruition.
We stopped funding the partnership in 2017 and had delayed progressing with a demonstration plant to conduct further due diligence and by May 2018, had to make a call and made the decision to wind things up.
We left open the potential for gains from future opportunities should they arise. Whether the technology may come into its own in future, with the focus on climate change and energy, will be something for the experts at Scion to determine.
The project hasn’t affected our ability to continue delivering services and initiatives for our community.
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Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Complaints made about Council staff
Enquiry
I'm working on a story based on a LGOIMA request I made about complaints on council staff.
I've attached the council's response to that LGOIMA req for your convenience [see attached].
There are some critical comments in the complaints documents (named Complaint No 3 and Staff complaints documentation released).
Much of the council's response to those issues is in the attached Staff complaints document (the action taken and resolution) but I'd like to give the council the opportunity for additional response to any of the critical comments made in that documentation if desired.
Response
From CE Geoff Williams:
Council staff are involved in internal and external interactions that would number, in total, in the tens of thousands in any given year, including engagement and consultation as well as routine transactions and interactions. The expectation is that staff do the right thing by our community and by their colleagues. When complaints arise, they are dealt with in the appropriate manner, as each of these incidents has been.
Information:
RLC staff numbers as at today (excluding CCOs and excluding casuals): 365 permanent full and part-time staff (346 FTEs)