20 October 2021
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Wastewater overflow
Enquiry
I have some questions arising from the wastewater overflow in Ngongotaha on Monday night.
Can the council please provide an attributable answer on:
Does it believe it notified the public as soon as possible? Why?
When did the council notify mana whenua / Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Toi Te Ora and the regional council about the issue? Does it believe it notified these groups as soon as possible? Why?
How did the council disseminate the information to the public? Why was this done on Tuesday around 10.30am, rather than Monday evening?
Was a media release circulated to news organisations and others, such as Scoop? If so, when?
When specifically did the council learn of the issue from the member of the public? ie what time on Monday
What measures does it have in place at the lake to prevent people entering the water at the spill site?
Is it safe to enter to water, for example on the other side of the lake at Hannah's Bay? If not, are there signs at other parts of the lake? Why / why not
What further information does the council have at this stage about the cause of the issue?
Is the council confident this issue will not arise again or replicate elsewhere?
When is the lake expected to be safe to enter again?
Response
From 3 Waters Services Manager Eric Cawte:
Does it believe it notified the public as soon as possible? Why?
Once the overflow was stopped and as per the agreed overflow protocol, the relevant authorities were notified immediately. The event responder was in contact with Toi Te Ora Public Health during the event response however, contact with Bay of Plenty Regional Council was delayed until the following day. This was due to human error and is not usual practice.
The land area surrounding the overflow site was cleaned and disinfected. Signage was installed by 7am on Tuesday October 19 to notify anyone directly in the impacted area. Once more information was able to be gathered, a public health warning was issued across Council’s digital channels as soon as possible.
Although, in this instance we are comfortable the response to the overflow adequately protected the health and safety of the community, we will use this as an opportunity to work with TRILITY to review and improve the current notification process that’s in place.
When did the council notify mana whenua / Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Toi Te Ora and the regional council about the issue? Does it believe it notified these groups as soon as possible? Why?
Te Arawa Lakes Trust and hapū were notified the following morning prior to public notification as per our usual process for after-hours events. It is important that, when we are notifying our partners, that we try to provide them with as much detail as possible rather than just a simple alert.
How did the council disseminate the information to the public? Why was this done on Tuesday around 10.30am, rather than Monday evening?
As above, signage was in place by 7am on Tuesday 19 October to notify people in the area and once more information about the incident was gathered, a public health warning was issued through Council’s and Toi Te Ora’s digital channels.
Was a media release circulated to news organisations and others, such as Scoop? If so, when?
The health warning was placed on Council’s website and Facebook page and shared with Toi Te Ora Public Health to also disseminate the information.
When specifically did the council learn of the issue from the member of the public? ie what time on Monday
On Monday night at 7.06pm Council was notified by the occupants of a property in the area about an overflowing manhole. A few minutes earlier at 7pm a high level alarm also alerted TRILITY to an issue at the pump station. TRILITY staff attended immediately and the pump station was restarted and the overflow stopped by 7.33pm.
What measures does it have in place at the lake to prevent people entering the water at the spill site?
As above, signage is in place warning against recreational activities and swimming.
Is it safe to enter to water, for example on the other side of the lake at Hannah's Bay? If not, are there signs at other parts of the lake? Why / why not
Yes it is safe to enter the water on the other side of the lake. It is difficult to determine due to factors such as wind and water currents however, it is unlikely high levels of contamination will have spread further than 500m each side of the spill site. Test results from the evening of overflow and the following morning have been analysed. As expected, the highest levels of contamination were detected at the entry site of the overflow into the lake, and testing shows that the levels of contamination reduced significantly within the first 12 hours. Test analysis takes at least 24 hours and we expect more results to be available tomorrow.
What further information does the council have at this stage about the cause of the issue?
There are no further updates. The loss of programming code is still under investigation.
Is the council confident this issue will not arise again or replicate elsewhere?
Nobody wants to see these types of incidents happen and we deal with these with great urgency to minimise any risk or impact. Where possible, the network has backup systems, including monitoring alarms and secondary pumps, and the system continues to be improved as technology and engineering practices evolve. However, we would like to reiterate that with 80 pump stations, 500km of sewer main and 8000 man holes there is always a risk that there could be a fault or damage that causes issues with the network. With a network of this scale minor issues are common, and occasionally an unusual event such as this may occur and that is the reason we have protocols and processes in place so we can respond immediately to manage any adverse effects.
When is the lake expected to be safe to enter again?
48 hours is the generally advised minimum time for such warnings to be in place, however testing will determine exactly when the warning should be lifted.
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Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: Rotorua housing situation and work on housing
Enquiry
Morena team, I have a query relating to the mayor's presentation in Friday's Mayoral Forum.
She spoke of a local taskforce that has been set up in response to the city's housing situation. I understand Jean-Paul Gaston is heading plans to deliver 3000 homes in the next three years (and more after that).
I'll need a swift response today so I'll keep this brief. Can someone please tell me:
- is the local taskforce and the plans to deliver the housing one and the same? If not, can you please elaborate?
- who is in the taskforce and what is its goal and/or mission? (Steve referred to partners but I'm keen to ensure I've got everyone)
- is this running separately to Kainga Ora's Maihi programme? (if not, how does it fit in?)
- and how do you plan to deliver these houses in the next three years?
Response
The following information was provided:
This is the taskforce that was established in March to address emergency housing and was reported on by NZME when the Government made the announcement about it – see here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/government-makes-changes-to-rotorua-emergency-housing/JPJ6DLAPLNSZBVTQBLGLS56D5I/
We have a webpage that explains what it’s about and who is involved, see here: https://www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/our-city/community-development/rotorua-housing-taskforce
Regarding work RLC is doing in relation to housing, see below which is information that has previously been provided to NZME reporters, most recently in late August but I’ve updated it for you.
Re Kainga Ora’s Maihi programme – you’ll need to speak to KO about that and how/if it fits in to what they are doing in Rotorua.
RE: Council’s role in creating homes:
Housing is a key plank of the 2021-31 Long-term Plan adopted at the end of June. See pages 14 - 16 of the LTP HERE re actions relating to housing. As set out in the LTP, the target for building and developing new homes is 3000 in 5 years (6000 by 2030) and additional land available for 4000 residential sections.
Work on an inner city plan is underway. Please note reference to CBD on p16 of the LTP document re proposed inner city incentives policy which will, in part, aim to encourage accommodation and residential development in the CBD.
RE: work being undertaken:
See below the various work RLC is undertaking, in collaboration with partners like Central Govt, iwi, developers and local leaders to help facilitate/enable/incentivise housing development:
Housing Strategy (developed in partnership with Te Arawa and Central Government agencies): Actions in the strategy are underway in collaboration with the relevant parties/agencies; the plan aims to deliver short, medium and long-term housing solutions and RLC is also working closely with Central Government agencies, iwi and others to address emergency housing in Rotorua. (link to housing strategy is on the Housing Taskforce page on RLC website)
Rotorua Housing Taskforce: See info above and on taskforce page on RLC website
Investment in infrastructure upgrades including wastewater, roading and stormwater is underway throughout the city: 30-year infrastructure plan adopted alongside the 2021-31 LTP outlines plans to invest $424m into core infrastructure (roading, stormwater, sewerage and water supplies) across the next 10 years to ensure safe, reliable infrastructure that is able to meet current demand and support future demand and housing development. RLC has applied to the Govt’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund for some of this which would enable works to be brought forward (see Daily Post story HERE re this)
Pukehangi District Plan Change to facilitate housing at Pukehangi: Fast-track Plan Change was approved by Government in March this year (reported by RDP HERE). RLC continues to work with the developers to support the progression of their housing development plans at Pukehangi. See more HERE
Council and Waka Kotahi received Govt CIP funding for roading and stormwater upgrades to support proposed housing at Wharenui (in eastern part of Rotorua city): Planning for this is progressing (reported by NZME HERE)
Intensification Plan Change: A scope of works is under development to consider an intensification plan change. This will enable more housing, in a greater mix of typologies, and in appropriate locations. The plan change will also consider how we will ensure that we strive for a better quality in the urban form as the district grows up and out. In the inner city we could expect to see smaller housing typology over time in the form of apartments. By developing a plan to revitalise the inner city we anticipate the inner city will become more attractive for city living over time. Alongside the intensification plan change we will be focussing on a flooding plan change to ensure RLC manages its flooding hazards, as intensification increases in flood prone areas.
CBD housing: Below is some of the info provided to Carmen the other day re CBD plans which include encouraging and enabling residential development:
A CBD plan is part of the Rotorua Economic Development Strategy Framework that was approved by Council last December and was identified as a key action by the CBD sector group that was established last year to consider economic recovery strategies (following the 2020 lockdown). For your reference, the Draft Economic Development Strategy is HERE
Key pieces of work that need to be completed before a proposed CBD plan can be developed are underway and include:
- 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.
Meanwhile, our CCO Rotorua Economic Development Ltd (RED) is processing applications received through an expressions of interest (EOI) process seeking landowners and developers or investors who want to undertake projects in the inner city that support inner city living. There was a good level of interest and ideas from both local and out-of-town developers and due diligence and assessment of the expressions of interest received is being undertaken. (If you want all of what we provided to [other reporter] see this link on RLC website – scroll down to enquiry re commercial leasing and CBD)
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Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: Museums
Enquiry
I am working on a regional story that will run in both BOP Times and Rotorua Daily Post regarding museums.
Here a few questions for you to direct to the right person:
How much funding has been secured for the project - from where?
What is the total cost of the project expected to be?
Where are all the taonga / artefacts are being housed while the restoration is in progress?
What does Lizzie Marvelly's role entail while the museum is undergoing the restoration process?
How significant is the museum to Rotorua and its residents?
What impact has the closure of the museum had on the city, both for residents and visitors?
Response
From Director, Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa, Lizzie Marvelly:
How much funding has been secured for the project - from where?
The project to strengthen and redevelop Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa has received generous support from the following funders: $17m Provincial Growth Fund, $15.5m Rotorua Lakes Council, $10m Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust, $6m Lottery Grants Board, $5.02m Manatū Taonga Ministry of Culture & Heritage, $4.1m Bay of Plenty Regional Council and $100,000 Phillip Verry Charitable Foundation.
What is the total cost of the project expected to be?
The project is expected to cost $53.5m with the balance of the funding received going towards exhibition development ($4.22m).
Where are all the taonga / artefacts are being housed while the restoration is in progress?
Taonga and any removable heritage items have been safely taken from the Bath House building (home to Rotorua Museum) and placed into specialised storage facilities. While the majority of the taonga will remain in Rotorua in the Museum storage facility, some have returned to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington, and Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, for safekeeping whilst the Bath House building is strengthened and redeveloped.
What does Lizzie Marvelly's role entail while the museum is undergoing the restoration process?
While an important focus of the Museum project is strengthening the building, a huge amount of work also goes into developing the exhibition and stories they will tell. My role as Museum Director has responsibility for guiding the development of the new visitor experiences and exhibitions that will be available upon opening. Visitor experiences and exhibitions take years to develop, progressing through the stages of engagement, design, object selection and care, manufacture/production and installation.
How significant is the museum to Rotorua and its residents?
A Museum or Whare Taonga is a community hub, enabling people to come together to remember, learn, and seek inspiration and be entertained. Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa cares for and enables access to significant taonga/objects that embody important stories about Rotorua and its people.
What impact has the closure of the museum had on the city, both for residents and visitors?
The Museum plays an important role in connecting people to the stories of Rotorua, providing space for remembrance and lifelong opportunities for learning. Rotorua residents often tell us that they can’t wait for the Museum to reopen. The Museum was also a big drawcard for visitors and has left a gap in tourism offering for the area.