18 May 2023
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Wellington lodge fire
Enquiry
(Follow up questions to Mayor Tapsell’s statement re the Wellington fire from 16/5/23)
Tania, can I please ask you to expand a little on some of the below?
Specifically, what is it you are advocating for? Do you think all councils should have something like the housing accord to ensure EH is safe and fit for use?
Do you consider the fire in Wellington as an example of a nationwide issue? Is it something you foresee as happening again?
What fires specifically are you referring to in Rotorua and how many are you aware of?
What specifically did the council do after these events?
What other examples can you provide of where the council has intervened and what has been done in those cases?
Going forward with MSD clients in backpackers and lodges - technically not considered EH - how do you think this will be addressed?
Do you think these types of accommodation should be considered as rental accommodation for MSD clients receiving money for accommodation? / Should accommodation providers like backpackers and lodges be able to house MSD clients receiving an accommodation supplement as long-term renters?
Also wanted to just ask if it was known how many backpacker and hostel types accommodation in rotorua provided long-term rental options to MSD clients? (Or in general?)
Is there anything from today's council meeting with area commander Herby Ngawhika that the mayor thinks relates to this topic?
Response
From Mayor Tapsell:
Specifically, what is it you are advocating for? Do you think all councils should have something like the housing accord to ensure EH is safe and fit for use?
Buildings must be safe. Especially if people are being supported with housing or accommodation supplements. There is a duty of care to ensure people’s wellbeing and that buildings are compliant and have necessary consents in place.
Prior to the Housing Accord, there had been significant concern for the welfare of people living in facilities that were unmanaged and not fit for purpose. This continues to be a concern where tenancies are being established in buildings that are meant for tourist accommodation.
The Rotorua Housing Accord is a good example of ensuring a collective focus on the care, wellbeing, and management of people in emergency housing. Within the contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua, we have already seen a vast improvement in conditions for both people living in those facilities and for the surrounding community.
Do you consider the fire in Wellington as an example of a nationwide issue? Is it something you foresee as happening again?
There is a nationwide housing shortage and where people cannot find suitable housing they will make do with what is available. The Loafers Lodge fire is under investigation, but we know from local experience that fire safety is a huge risk when people are living in environments that are not fit for purpose. I am sure we are not alone in this.
What fires specifically are you referring to in Rotorua and how many are you aware of? What specifically did the council do after these events?
We are aware of seven fires that have started in emergency or temporary accommodation providers since 2020.
Following a fire on Fenton Street, council was proactive and sent letters to accommodation providers in Rotorua to remind them of their responsibilities regarding fire safety.
Following the fire in Wellington this week, council will again be going out to accommodation providers to remind them of their obligations under the Building Act.
Council officers continue to audit premises with a building warrant of fitness.
What other examples can you provide of where the council has intervened and what has been done in those cases?
A dangerous building notice has previously been issued to the Four Canoes motel due to fire safety risks identified by council, in conjunction with Fire and Emergency NZ. Safety improvements were made as a result.
This type of action is part of council’s usual regulatory work to ensure businesses and buildings are compliant with their relevant resource and building consents to ensure the safety of people.
Going forward with MSD clients in backpackers and lodges - technically not considered EH - how do you think this will be addressed?
Council has been taking a similar staged approach to what we have done with motels to ensure backpackers and similar accommodation providers either comply with the relevant District Plan rules or obtain resource consent.
Do you think these types of accommodation should be considered as rental accommodation for MSD clients receiving money for accommodation? / / Should accommodation providers like backpackers and lodges be able to house MSD clients receiving an accommodation supplement as long-term renters?
In Rotorua this would only be appropriate if this was the activity they were consented for and they had the appropriate safety measures and plans in place to reflect the needs of the people staying on their premises.
Also wanted to just ask if it was known how many backpacker and hostel types accommodation in rotorua provided long-term rental options to MSD clients? (Or in general?)
There are known issues with tenancies in backpackers and similar accommodation providers in Rotorua.
Is there anything from today's council meeting with area commander Herby Ngawhika that the mayor thinks relates to this topic?
We have experienced what happens when emergency housing is unmanaged and the flow on effect this has on the wider community. We’ve been proactive with ensuring our wider community is safe and yesterday announced that alongside our Police we’ll be targeting a 50% reduction in crime within the CBD by 2026. The community safety plan and the work we are doing under the Housing Accord will be collaborative to achieve safe communities for our residents of Rotorua.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Potholes
Enquiry
(Follow-up to enquiry last week relating to potholes following last week’s heavy rainfall):
I wanted to send through comments for right of reply about potholes in Rotorua. Please note I will also send these comments to NZTA as many of the roads fall under their network.
Can you please explain what costs the council cover if someone's vehicle is damaged by a pothole on their roading network?
Comments:
Managing director of Scorepro Engineering Eric King told the Rotorua Daily Post he repaired about 40 tyres last week - many of which had been damaged by potholes.
King said, in his view, some potholes in the region were being “left for days” and then deteriorating again “very rapidly” after being repaired.
“If the roading authorities did a decent job of the bloody roads, I would be unemployed - and I wouldn’t mind that because I am 76.”
Sylvia Warmerdam, who lives on Tauranga Direct Rd, regularly drives 27 kilometres to and from her work at Red Stag in Whakarewarewa.
The Bay of Plenty mum commutes with her two-year-old daughter Wren who yells out “pothole” whenever one is coming up.
“I am constantly dodging potholes, so much so that my toddler now knows where they are on the roads and shouts at me to avoid them,” she said.
Last Tuesday, May 9 night was particularly rough for the pair who got caught up in “horrendous” rain. They could not take their usual route home as the Mangapouri Bridge was closed.
Warmerdam ended up driving back through town and out along Te Ngae Road (SH30) to Te Puke.
Driving past Fresh Choice at around 6.30pm she hit a “massive pothole” and her tyre deflated immediately, she said.
“Because I don’t know that road, I don’t know where the potholes are - I just hit it.”
She could not claim insurance as her excess was around $500, and ended up paying $365 for a new tyre and repairs to a bent rim.
Warmerdam said on her regular commute she had to dodge multiple potholes - on the corner after Kaharoa Rd, Hamurana Rd near the Awahou Stream and another just one kilometre from her house.
This pothole on Tauranga Direct Rd was 50 cm wide and about 30 cm deep - and she often had to drive “a little over” the centre line to avoid it.
“Some of the potholes are just crazy.
In her view, drivers should not have to think about “dodging potholes” on their journey to work.
“My car has hit most of these potholes on many occasions - with massive thuds - as avoiding them is too dangerous with oncoming traffic or cyclists on the inside lane. . . it gets tedious navigating the roads like this.”
Three other drivers contacted the Rotorua Daily Post about how potholes in the region had caused damage to their vehicles over the past week.
Damage included “badly” buckled mags, a blown tyre and a “ruined” steering rack.
Another woman said over the last three months she had to buy three new tyres for her after driving through potholes - costing her $660 in total.
One pothole was located on the corner of Rusell and Fairy Springs Rd, and the other two were on SH5.
Response
Response from last week was updated as follows:
From DCE Infrastructure and Environmental Solutions Stavros Michael:
Surface road damage often becomes an issue when we experience the sort of heavy rainfall we’ve had in recent times, adding to previous rainfall events of recent months. The extremely wet 2022 was the wettest year in 30 years.
Repairing damage like potholes is something Road Controlling Authorities and our contractors do on an ongoing basis as part of maintenance works on our roading network. The Rotorua network comprises about 20 million square metres of sealed surfaces on 1000km of road and the number of defects like potholes cover a very small fraction of that.
After last week’s heavy rainfall our contractors were again forced to focus on clearing storm debris and other damage including underslips, scouring and various drainage issues, as well as potholes.
See our weather updates (Weather updates - Rotorua Lakes Council) for information about the extent of damage to our roads as a result of last week’s rainfall event.
This work is undertaken on a risk priority basis across our district. Our contractors can’t get to everything at once and after any stormy weather we urge drivers to continue to take extra care on our roads and to be aware that they could come across slips, treefalls and damage such as potholes. We want to remind drivers to use the road responsibly and be aware of the prevailing conditions when driving.
If anyone notices damage on council urban or rural roads, they should call Council on (07) 348 4199 so it can be logged for inspection and repair.
The council expects repairs to be done as soon as practically possible, but the timeframe may be weather-dependent.
Re vehicle damage costs: Council will consider claims only if it is proven that it was negligent and did not take reasonably practical steps to fix known road defects. When extreme weather conditions cause roads to deteriorate quickly the Council may not be able to immediately repair the damage and we will issue warnings to road users to be careful and adjust their driving according to the conditions.
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Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Community constable roles
Enquiry
Have been writing from the meeting yesterday but can I please ask if the two community constable roles are paid for by police or by the council?
Why was the community constable role (which was recently reestablished) disestablished and when?
Response
Reporter subsequently came back and said she had received response from police re first question but asked if RLC could answer the second question. We informed reporter that as community constables are employed by the police, she would need to ask the police