15 September 2021
Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: Commercial consents
Enquiry
Please may I have:
- The top 10 commercial consents in terms of value issued in August? Please include the address, consent value and what the consent was for.
- The total value of commercial consents issued in August
- The total value of residential consents issued in August
- The total number of residential consents issued in August
- The total number of commercial consents issued in August
- A brief comment about the number of consents issued and what it means for the city
- Was just wondering if you could also check in to see where this application is at? Address: Lot 1 Eastgate industrial park off Te Ngae Road near the Rotorua Airport. It is for McRaes Global and IMG building
Response
The top 10 commercial consents in terms of value issued in August:
WAI ARIKI HOT SPRINGS AND SPA
1073 WHAKAUE STREET, ROTORUA CENTRAL - $28,788,000
TWO NEW 2-STOREY APARTMENTS
HILDA STREET, FENTON PARK - $2,000,000
NEW DWELLING
15 CALDER ROAD, OKAREKA - $1,550,000
CONSTRUCT 8 NEW GREENHOUSES
49 SALA STREET, WHAKAREWAREWA - $1,500,000
UPGRADE NOMINATED WARDS
5 PUKEROA STREET, ROTORUA CENTRAL - $1,323,000
NEW DWELLING
14 CARLTON STREET, GLENHOLME - $1,100,000
BOARDWALK OVER WATER
20 QUEENS DRIVE, ROTORUA CENTRAL- $1,000,000
NEW DWELLING
9/73 WARD ROAD, HAMURANA - $800,000
NEW DWELLING
17A RANIERA PLACE, SPRINGFIELD - $700,000
THREE NEW DWELLINGS
UNITS 50, 52 AND 54, 40 OWHATIURA DRIVE, LYNMORE - $660,000
The total value of commercial consents issued in August - $35,212,200
The total value of residential consents issued in August - $13,532,771
The total number of residential consents issued in August – 91
The total number of commercial consents issued in August – 11
Response from District Development DCE Jean-Paul Gaston
“A growing city inevitably creates the need for more building and resource consents. Council’s consenting team are working under pressure to get through the high number of these applications, and we will continue to explore strategies to improve and streamline the building and resource consent process, to enable investment in Rotorua.”
RE Lot 1 Eastgate industrial park: The consent application for Lot 1 Eastgate industrial park off Te Ngae Road near the Rotorua Airport is for ground improvements, and is currently being processed with Council.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Women's Suffrage Day
Enquiry
Reporter sought general comment from Mayor Chadwick relating to Suffrage Day and Suffrage Day event in Rotorua where she will be speaking
Response
From Mayor Chadwick
There is a whakatauki that I think is very appropriate to Suffrage Day:
Me aro ki te hā o Hine-ahu-one
Pay heed to the mana of women
Suffrage Day is a day to remember what women fought for 128 years ago and is a reminder of the ongoing issue of equality for women.
Today, we have women at the highest levels of politics but there are still parts of the world where the rights of women are very much under threat.
In New Zealand, while I’m sure Kate Shepard would have been very proud to see a woman prime minister, she would be somewhat disappointed that there are still so many of us – not just women either – who don’t take the opportunity they have to vote.
Next year we have local government elections. Voting is our right – it’s a way for us to be heard and to ensure there is diversity among those who are elected to represent us all and make decisions for the good of us all.
Right now everyone in our community has the opportunity to influence representation arrangements for the 2022 and 2025 local elections through Council’s Your Choice – representation review.
Now more than ever, with growing inequality, poverty and housing challenges, we need diversity at decision-making tables and I encourage all in our community, including women, to and provide feedback and when the time comes, to vote.
The event is our community’s opportunity to remember the suffragists and what they fought for, and to reflect on women’s rights today.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: Impact of COVID on summer events
Enquiry
I am doing a story about the big summer events and how Covid will impact them.
On Monday, Jacinda said "We will find a way to make sure, regardless of the circumstances globally and domestically, that we are able to have the events that make New Zealand summers"
I am seeking a response to this in regard to Rotorua GLO.
- What does the PMs vow mean for the GLO festival? Are plans going ahead to make it happen given what she's said?
- If plans are going ahead, what needs to happen by organisers to ensure it goes ahead?
- What's being done to prevent the risk of the event, in a worst case scenario, becoming an event cluster?
- What would happen if the event didn't run at all? What would that do to the local economy as well as morale?
- If it's not going ahead, why is it not happening? When was this decision made? And will the event be cancelled altogether?
Any other comments about this or other summer events in the wake of Covid and the uncertainty are welcomed.
Response
What does the PMs vow mean for the GLO festival? Are plans going ahead to make it happen given what she's said?
At this stage we are continuing to plan for the GLO Festival to go ahead this year. After it was cancelled last year we would really love to be able to bring this free, family-friendly New Year’s Eve to our community this year.
If plans are going ahead, what needs to happen by organisers to ensure it goes ahead?
We will continue to be led by the Government in terms of alert levels and guidelines. We need to ensure that our community and visitors that attend this event are safe. GLO will only go ahead if the guidelines at the time enable us to run the event in a way that still enables us to provide a great experience for our community and keep everyone safe
What's being done to prevent the risk of the event, in a worst case scenario, becoming an event cluster?
We will follow all of the Governments guidelines set out for the relevant alert level, and only run the event if the Government and Council deem it safe to do so.
What would happen if the event didn't run at all? What would that do to the local economy as well as morale?
Obviously it would be very disappointing if we weren’t able to run GLO. GLO Festival is a much loved community event which our community looks forward to.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Aorangi Reserve plans
Enquiry
We've received a copy of letters distributed to residents about plans for Aorangi Reserve. The letter states the plan is to replace bark at this playground with sand.
I would really appreciate it if these questions could be responded to before 10am tomorrow morning:
- The letter says sand is a more affordable option. How much would it cost to replace the bark with sand?
- Have these plans been consulted for health and safety purposes? If so, who was consulted?
- What was the general feedback from local school students?
- What were the common comments received by the council from the public about the playground?
- When will the bark replacement take place? How long is this process estimated to take?
- When will the playground reopen?
- How will the sand and proposed seating help to decrease vandalism at the park?
- Why does the council believe this to be the best solution?
- In my research for this article members of the public told me of more than one playground which had similar issues as the Aorangi Reserve playground.
- Does the council plan to apply the same solution to these spaces and replace bark with sand?
Response
From Sport, Recreation and Environment Manager Rob Pitkethley:
- The initial cost to replace the existing safety surface with bark or sand is similar, however the ongoing costs to maintain the sand and keep it clean means it is a better longer term option. Sand requires little top up to maintain the required level of safety surface, and debris or rubbish can be more easily identified and cleared away.
- Council uses the NZ Playground equipment and surfacing standards which specifies requirements for safety surfaces and the use of sand meets these standards.
- The students shared with Council staff that they use the playground often and wanted to see it reopen for the community to enjoy.
- Residents predominantly commented on issues such as vandalism, litter and older youth deterring younger children from using the space.
- As mentioned in the letter, the work to replace the safety surface and add seating to provide other areas for gathering will take place in the next few months. A contractor is being engaged to do this work but timing will depend on contractor and material availability. The actual renewal process will take about two weeks.
- We will be able to reopen the playground once the replacement of the safety surface work is complete. We are aiming to have this done before summer.
- The play equipment seems to be a hangout space for youth and with no other option in the reserve, this is a logical location for them to do this. However, from feedback we understand this can put families with younger children off using the playground. It was suggested that a space for youth be created separately so they have an area to socialise, and the playground will be available for younger children to use. The sand as mentioned above is easier to maintain and identify debris.
- There was a clear indication from the community that the playground is valued and well used by younger families in the area. The reserve is also well used by older families playing touch and as a general recreational space. By enhancing the space for the wide variety of users we are hoping the space will achieve greater appreciation and use by the community. Greater community use encourages a sense of community ownership which helps to deter negative behaviours that spoil it for everyone. The sand also provides additional imaginative and creative play opportunities for tamariki to shape, mould and create things.
- While we know that from time to time broken glass is an issue at various playgrounds, this is cleared as quickly as possible by our contractors. We are not aware of any other playgrounds where glass has been a frequent ongoing issue or has been purposefully placed within the safety surface of a playground as we have detected at the Aorangi Reserve playground.
- Each playground will be assessed separately based on the situation, issues and merits, including feedback from the surrounding community.