23 July 2026: Prince's Gate arch, Ngapouri Rd works
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Prince's Gate arch
Enquiry
I am working on a follow-up story about the Prince's Gate archway after coming across the council's tender for a full renovation earlier this year.
I also spoke with Alex Wills, a local with building experience who said he has contacted Mayor Tapsell on Tuesday to offer his services to help rebuild it for a third of his usual hourly rate.
Rotorua ITM have also said they would be keen to be involved in a project.
I am seeking a response to the below questions:
- How many tenders did the council receive for the renovation of the archway in March/April?
- Why were they unsuccessful?
- Some people I have spoken to believe the council should reopen tenders - is the council considering this? Why/why not?
- Has Mayor Tapsell received a formal offer of help from builder Alex Wills to help with the rebuild of the arches? Is this something the council is considering?
- What maintenance works have been done in recent years and why was the structure allowed to deteriorate to this point?
- Why did council not seek a second independent assessment following the first one by Blueline Consulting?
- Why did community consultation not take place about this decision?
Please also find below some comments for right of response.
One Rotorua resident's comments:
- She said the arches had “welcomed generations of locals and visitors” and were “a landmark that many people associate with Rotorua”.
- “Once they are dismantled, that original piece of our heritage can never truly be replaced.”
- She questioned why the structure was allowed to deteriorate to this point and whether maintenance and restoration had been adequately considered over the years.
- She agreed public safety should come first but was concerned about transparency.
- She hoped for “a pause on any irreversible work”, all reports and assessments to be released, and community engagement “before an irreplaceable heritage landmark is lost”.
- She would like to see the council’s tender process reopened.
One Rotorua ratepayer's comments:
- He was “extremely disappointed” about the planned deconstruction and said there was time to re-open the tender process before deconstruction began.
- “I’d like to see it restored.”
- He believed community consultation should take place.
- He understood public health and safety but believed the council should seek a “second or third opinion” following the initial assessment.
Alex Wills' comments:
- In his view, “it’s not that complicated of a structure”.
- “It’s modular ... it doesn’t need to be an overly expensive or crazy undertaking to replace.”
- Wills could not estimate a cost at this stage but said it would not cost “millions” and would be “very reasonable”.
- Wills said he did not want the city to lose the “iconic” arches.
Response
From Alex Wilson, Group Manager – Community Experience:
How many tenders did the council receive for the renovation of the archway in March/April?
Three
Why were they unsuccessful?
An evaluation process determined there were cost and delivery risks in all three tenders so no tender was approved and a reset of the programme was initiated.
Some people I have spoken to believe the council should reopen tenders - is the council considering this? Why/why not?
No decision has yet been made on how we will proceed.
We have a process underway to consider options and present recommendations to Council for consideration.
Has Mayor Tapsell received a formal offer of help from builder Alex Wills to help with the rebuild of the arches? Is this something the council is considering?
Yes, the Mayor has received an email from Mr Wills offering to discuss the project and potentially assist with managing a rebuild. This is one of many thoughtful and generous offers and suggestions received from members of our community. All offers and ideas are being collated and will be considered as Council works through the next steps to determine the best way forward for the future of the arches.
What maintenance works have been done in recent years and why was the structure allowed to deteriorate to this point?
Maintenance work in recent years has included replacement of broken lattice work, repairs to the top, checks of steel brackets and removal of non-structural timber that has become loose.
The deterioration has accelerated since 2022 due to a large number of high and extreme wind events that have further affected the structure, blowing off or loosening weak or aged timber.
Why did council not seek a second independent assessment following the first one by Blueline Consulting?
A subsequent assessment is planned to confirm the extent of work required to address the public safety risk. We expect this to happen within the next few weeks.
Why did community consultation not take place about this decision?
Decisions relating to public safety risk are operational decisions. Dealing with that risk is our immediate priority.
No decision has yet been made on how to proceed once the immediate risk has been addressed.
A team has been established to consider and assess options and make recommendations for elected members to consider for decision-making.
You’ll find more information here on our website: Prince's Gate arch - Rotorua Lakes Council
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Remedial works on Ngapouri Road
Enquiry
For RLC organisation
Just wondering if I can get an update on the following work at Ngapouri Rd in Waiotapu?
- How is work progressing?
- What sort of crews have you got working out there? (numbers and types if you can give some details)
- When will the road reopen?
- How much is it costing?
- What's tricky about this work? Are there any hiccups or hold ups?
- Is it possible this could happen again?
- Feel free to let me know anything more that might be helpful.
Would I please be able to get a response before 1pm today if possible thanks?
Subsequent from reporter:
I've just spoken to Ngapouri Rd resident, Grant. He's the husband of the woman who drove into the chasm and was swept down the flooded stream in her upturned car.
He said while there had been a flurry of work recently, he felt things were a little slow earlier on, despite this being one of the driest periods between April and July the area had experienced in years (he has a weather station at his property).
He said he felt the council had approached the work from a civil works point of view, rather than a personal point of view. He said the felt the council did not fully appreciate they were "lugging groceries", children etc into side by side vehicles for more than three months in often dark and cold, and sometimes wet, conditions.
He said from a positive point of view, there did seem to be quick progress in the past week but he wondered if it could have been finished earlier given the weeks where nothing much seemed to be happening, despite the fine weather.
I am mentioning his comments in case you would like to respond as part of your response to my earlier questions.
For Mayor Tania Tapsell
I've just spoken with a chap called Grant from Waiotapu. He is the husband of Nanette, the woman who drove into the chasm on Ngapouri Rd on a night in April and was swept down a flooded stream inside her upturned car.
I am doing an update on how the council work is progressing. I've sent questions off to the comms team relating to that work. He is reasonably happy with how it's progressing now, although felt it was a little slow earlier on when the weather was good.
I'm reaching out to you though because he said he is a little "jarred" by the fact that no one seems to have cared for them from a personal point of view. He said it was telling that they had not had any contact voluntarily from any elected members, despite the significant event they experienced.
He said he went to see your office and spoke to a staff member, following which you emailed him.
I was wondering if you'd like to respond at all to his criticism that he felt the elected members should have at the least called them, or at best, gone to see them to see how he and Nanette were doing.
I was hoping to file the story by the end of today if you had time to send me something.
Let's know if you need more information.
Response
From RLC organisation
From Stavros Michael, Group Manager Infrastructure and Assets:
We know this has been challenging for affected residents and appreciate their patience and understanding. Our staff and contractors have worked hard under challenging conditions to reinstate the road and re-open it as soon as possible and we have remained in contact with residents.
Despite challenging ground conditions, work has progressed very well and we are on track to completing the critical works and restoring road access tomorrow, ahead of time. We had anticipated this would not be possible before the end of July.
While re-opening, the road section will still need to be sealed and this will be done in spring when there are more favourable – ie warmer and drier – conditions. Traffic management will remain in place in the meantime.
The work has been challenging – it is difficult to do drainlaying and earthworks during winter months and soft, saturated ground conditions have been a factor. Despite this, work has been progressed without any hold-ups.
The work has involved a variety of crews and equipment including civil construction and drainlaying crews and heavy machinery including dump trucks, diggers, compaction rollers, graders, metalling trucks and dewatering equipment. A crane was also required, to manoeuvre large concrete pipes and other components into place.
We don’t have a final cost yet but estimate it will be between $900,000 and $950,000 (gross). The work is heavily subsidised by NZTA through its emergency works fund.
Localised high-intensity rainfall events are becoming increasingly common and while we have no control over Mother Nature, the new road culvert is large enough to handle future high-intensity rainfall events.
From Mayor Tapsell
From Rotorua Mayor, Tania Tapsell:
This situation resulted from a significant and uncontrollable weather event that affected multiple areas across the district.
We worked hard to deliver solutions as quickly as possible and it's good news that the repair work is progressing well, with road access on track to be restored ahead of schedule.
Unfortunately, Mr Alexander came into Council while I was in scheduled meetings, but I contacted him as soon as I learnt he'd called in.
When accidents occur across our district we also need to balance care with respecting the family’s privacy while they recover from traumatic experiences.
I know that elected members have been in touch with the family and our Council staff have really gone above and beyond to provide the care and support that they required.
There has been regular updates from Council staff with Mr Alexander and other affected residents as work has progressed on both interim and longer-term solutions to access issues.
