23 June 2021
Media: Rotorua Weekender
Topic: Sanatorium Reserve restoration
Enquiry
Reporter sought permission to use photos from RLC Facebook page in relation to a planting day that was part of the ongoing Sanatorium Reserve restoration programme and also asked:
If it's possible to just get a little bit more information/comments to the below questions to that would be great:
- What native plants were among the 100 planted?
- How did it feel to have such support from the community in this project? Was it just the groups below present of general public too?
- Why are restoration projects like this one important for Rotorua?
- If members of the community want to start getting involved in helping out with these projects, how can they go about doing so?
- Is there anything you would like to add?
A few keen hands made for easy work planting 100 natives and sowing seed at Sanatorium Reserve yesterday. This mahi is part of the ongoing restoration project which began in 2018. This area was recently cleared and now there will be new growth of natives such as kānuka, mānuka and mingimingi to cover the open ground.
Thanks to everyone who came along and the teams from RLC, Wildlands, InfraCore Ltd, Forest & Bird Youth, Eco Warriors Rotorua, Conservation Dogs for braving the rain and helping with this special Rotorua project. To learn more about the Sanatorium Restoration project go to www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/sanatoriumrestoration
Response
Reporter was informed she was welcome to use the RLC Facebook images and was provided with the following information and comment:
What native plants were among the 100 planted?
Mānuka, Kānuka, Mingimingi and Turutu
Was it just the groups below present of general public too?
This planting operation only required a small group due to the limited number of plants that needed planting. The people who attended were from organisations that have been involved with the restoration work along the way. Those organisations were Wildlands, Infracore Limited, Forest and Bird Youth, Eco Warriors Rotorua and Conservation Dogs.
For the most part the reserve will regenerate naturally with a bit of help here and there but council will be looking for more opportunities to involve the community as the restoration programme progresses.
If members of the community want to start getting involved in helping out with these projects, how can they go about doing so?
Email info@rotorualc.nz with contact details and one of the Sport, Recreation and Environment team members will be in touch as opportunities to be involved come up.
From Deputy Mayor Dave Donaldson (who was at the planting day):
- How did it feel to have such support from the community in this project?
- Why are restoration projects like this one important for Rotorua?
It was so very encouraging to have community support on a lousy day weather-wise, but especially heart-warming to be joined by the Forest & Bird Rangatahi [youth] and see their passion for our environment and indigenous biodiversity.
This project is significant locally, nationally and internationally on many levels.
Locally speaking, it begins to address a historical wrong as the reserve was once the site of the city dump until 1969.
It is one of very few geothermal reserves anywhere in the world, on the doorstep of a CBD, and a breeding sanctuary for endangered native species such as the black-billed gull and prostrate kanuka. Interestingly for me I learned on this planting bee, that the threat to the black-billed gull is not one of the usual suspects [rats/stoats/cats] but the black-backed gull!
Te Arikiroa [within the reserve] is also historically significant, the site of a battle between rival iwi with many casualties.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Council website update
Enquiry
In relation to the new Rotorua Lakes Council website, I have the following questions:
- What was the total cost of the website upgrade?
- Could this cost be broken down into: Staff hours spent on the project, number of staff working on the project, and the cost of any contractors or services?
- Will there be an ongoing cost to the maintenance of the site? What is this cost?
- What was the budget for the council website upgrade?
- Had the council received complaints about their website prior to the change? What were these complaints about?
- Why did the council decide to change the website?
- What did the process of changing the website involve? Were website users consulted?
- Was this project carried out in-house or were other website providers, services or designers brought in?
Response
The following information was provided:
This is not a new website, it is an updated website platform that has been introduced by Council’s website provider, and has a different look and some changes in terms of navigation for users.
There has been no cost to transition to the updated platform – this work was covered by existing contracted support hours.
Staff time related to moving to the updated platform was part of the day-to-day work of those involved and has not been recorded separately.
The change has not been prompted by complaints or by Rotorua Lakes Council itself. Council’s website provider retired the previous underlying platform that it used for the Rotorua Lakes Council website and this necessitated the upgrade.
The change involved migrating content from the old platform to the new platform and training by the website provider of council staff who manage the website.
Other councils that contract the same provider have gone through a similar process.
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Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: RLC organisational realignment
Enquiry
Further to our emails - my news directors have asked me to advise you we're still more than happy to meet with [RLC CE] Geoff [Williams] for the interview (as per our terms) but we would also still like answers to those questions today please.
So it's all in one place for your convenience, what we're waiting on now is (I have varied some questions based on your clarification that the JDs are drafts, those changes are bolded):
- Any other documents that describe the expectations of the DCE roles and the former roles (please clarify if this exists).
- What salary band the person for each of those roles is in. If it has changed, let me know what it has changed to. If they are paid less or more than their current or former salary band, please advise the difference.
- Why are there no confirmed job descriptions (or any documentation describing the expectations) for the new roles yet?
- You've said the two people who have had pay rises have significantly more responsibility. How are those people accountable for those responsibilities if they don't have a confirmed job description?
- Is it usual practice to give employees a pay rise and or a new job title without also having a confirmed job description for the role?
- Did the seven DCEs have to apply for the roles (I realise this was an internal process but was there any process where the organisation ascertained how and why each person was the best person for the job?)
- Why were the jobs not externally advertised?
- Why is there no additional documentation describing the expectations for the new DCE roles? (Assuming there is not here as I have requested it and it hasn't been provided)
- When did work on the DCE job descriptions begin?
- Have the salary increases come into effect and if so when did they?
Right of reply on these comments:
COMMENTS:
Victoria University human relations expert Professor Jane Bryson said if the deputy chief executives have been appointed "they would have role descriptions for what [the council] has appointed them to".
"They must have a role description."
She said it seemed "unusual" to raise salaries and change titles before finalising job descriptions, but it was hard to know without knowing the full details of the change process and "how they've gone about it".
ENDS
Additional request: Can you please also provide copies of the draft job descriptions.
Response
RLC reinforced with the reporter the CE’s offer to be interviewed about these matters, to provide the information requested face to face and provide context to enable a full understanding of the realignment, the reasons for it, the process and the DCE roles which are part of it.
The reporter accepted the offer for an interview but asked that the information be provided today, by the previously specified deadlines.
RLC reinforced with the reporter that the information would be provided at the interview.
Interview details were confirmed.