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RNZ News
5 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
'Quite a bump': Rotorua lures more Auckland visitors
Tourist photograph the Tourism Rotorua building. Photo: Andrew Warner Rotorua is experiencing a surge in domestic tourism, with new figures showing an increase in visitor numbers, spending and accommodation occupancy. Local leaders say the boost reflects growing confidence in the city as a destination, following years of disruption from Covid-19 and emergency housing . Figures via RotoruaNZ, the council-controlled tourism organisation, showed an uptick in Kiwis heading to Rotorua for a holiday. "I've received lots of great feedback from locals who have appreciated the boost in business and also seeing Rotorua thrive again," said Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell. The mayor praised the 'Robe Trip' marketing campaign, which was aimed at highlighting Rotorua's standing as a destination for luxury and relaxation. The campaign ran over six weeks in February and March across multiple media, including a television ad featuring Tapsell. According to figures the council released to the Taxpayers' Union in March, the ad cost just under $94,000 to produce and broadcast. RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson said they were very pleased with the results of the Robe Trip campaign. About three-quarters (73 percent) of Aucklanders surveyed would consider Rotorua for a holiday or breakaway after the campaign, up from 34 percent pre-campaign. "This was a bold and deliberate move to reposition Rotorua in the minds of New Zealanders - especially young and mid-life Auckland couples - as a destination for luxury, relaxation and indulgence." RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson. Photo: Andrew Warner Over the course of the campaign, there was a 9.4 percent increase in visitor spend by Aucklanders in the city and a 5 percent year-on-year rise in hotel occupancy. In comparison, there were 1.4 percent and 4.4 percent decreases respectively across the nation. Spending by domestic visitors from across the whole of New Zealand, not just Auckland, went up 14.3 percent year-on-year in Rotorua in May - compared to a 0.1 percent drop nationally. In addition, 76 percent of New Zealanders surveyed rated Rotorua as appealing to visit, with 35 percent intending to do so in the next 12 months. Traditionally, Rotorua's heritage has marked it as the birthplace of Kiwi tourism, but it had also grown into a mecca for adventure seekers, Wilson said. "The push towards luxury and relaxation is not about abandoning our adventure roots. "It's about expanding our narrative. Rotorua has always been a place of restoration and manaakitanga [hospitality]. We're simply reminding Kiwis of that in a fresh, relatable way," Wilson said. Rotorua Canopy Tours general manager Paul Button. Photo: Andrew Warner The recent rise in domestic tourism has also been noticed by those in the industry. Rotorua Canopy Tours general manager Paul Button said he has seen an improvement domestically compared to 12 months ago. Last year, the country was in the grip of the cost-of-living crisis as households tightened budgets and went without getaways, he said. "I don't think there's one silver bullet," said Button. "Last year, domestically, it fell off. We had an abrupt drop in May and our research suggested it was economy-related. "It's definitely still tough out there and I am not going to pretend it's not but interest rates have dropped and things might be getting better." Button said Rotorua's desirability had also returned. The pandemic had a major impact on the city, while the subsequent period of emergency housing compounded the city's tourism struggles, he said. Emergency housing motels in Rotorua are being wound down by the government, with a plan to stop contracting motels by the end of 2025 . Hennessey's Bar owner Reg Hennessey. Photo: Andrew Warner "A lot less use of motels for social housing has really helped," said Reg Hennessey, owner of the locally famous Hennessey's Irish Bar on Tutanekai St. "This school holiday was good and domestic tourism has definitely picked up, it's taken quite a bump this year. "Now we are just getting the good word back out to New Zealand that it's a safe town and people can always feel safe here because of the way it's operated." Tapsell also highlighted new efforts to attract more international visitors, as Rotorua Lakes Council funded promotion through an economic development rate on short-term accommodation providers. "Tourism and hospitality contribute significantly to jobs in Rotorua," she said. "Attracting visitors can be very competitive, not just to get them to our district, but also to our country. It's important that we don't get complacent, so we've put a lot of effort and smart investment into unique initiatives to promote Rotorua." She said the council was excited to continue to see the results of this. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NZ Herald
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
New Zealand's longest-serving councillor Trevor Maxwell seeks one more term in Rotorua
The subsequent three-year term put him level with Doug Truman, who served on Grey District Council from 1968 to 2016, for the national record. Asked about plans to take the record outright after the 2025 election, he had a simple statement: 'One more term.' Rotorua councillor Trevor Maxwell. Photo / Andrew Warner First elected as a councillor in 1977, Maxwell also served 11 years as Rotorua Deputy Mayor and fell just short of the mayoralty in 2004. Maxwell said he has 'thoroughly enjoyed' his time on Rotorua Lakes Council and would like one final term serving the Māori ward before stepping away. Rawiri Waru will also seek re-election to the Māori ward, while Maxwell's niece Lani Kereopa previously announced she would not. General ward councillors Conan O'Brien, Robert Lee, Don Paterson and Fisher Wang indicated they would seek to keep their seats, as would Karen Barker in the Rural ward. Lee would challenge Mayor Tania Tapsell for the top job. Councillor Robert Lee is running for Rotorua Mayor in October. Photo / Laura Smith Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell is standing again. Photo / Laura Smith Councillor Gregg Brown was not seeking re-election to the general ward. Deputy Mayor Sandra Kai Fong did not respond to requests to confirm her stance. Meanwhile, the first two community challengers have confirmed their candidacies for the general ward. Mariana Morrison is the granddaughter of late Rotorua great Sir Howard Morrison and was also a contestant on the 2017 edition of The Bachelor NZ. Reynold Macpherson, chairman of Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers, is a former councillor and mayoral contender. MacPherson was voted on to the council in 2019 and served one term, in which he locked horns with then Mayor Steve Chadwick. In 2022, he was removed from two council committees after failing to apologise for code-of-conduct breaches. He lost his seat after falling short in a 2022 bid for mayor, with Tapsell taking the top job. MacPherson also stood for the mayoralty unsuccessfully in 2013, 2016 and 2019, but said he was just seeking a councillor seat in 2025. Rotorua Residents and Ratepayers' Association chairman Reynold Macpherson. Photo / Andrew Warner Macpherson told Local Democracy Reporting he was largely supportive of the current mayor. He believed the current council had 'changed' compared with three years ago. 'Rotorua has great potential,' he said. 'Let's build a better council, one that listens respectfully, debates thoughtfully and acts decisively, with integrity, not political theatre.' Macpherson said his priorities would be focusing on the council's core responsibilities, capping rates and cutting waste. Morrison is standing for the council for the first time. She has a background in the military, corrections and health. Mariana Morrison. Photo / Andrew Warner In 2022, she spearheaded a first-of-its-kind kaupapa Māori strategy in aged care at Rotorua's Cantabria Lifecare and Village. 'I want to bring strategic leadership to the Rotorua community from a ground-up approach,' Morrison said. 'There are gaps in our socioeconomic system that are impacting the governance of our council. I think there's room for more leadership centred on a whānau-centric voice – more community leaders, as opposed to purely operational.' Candidate nominations close on August 1, with confirmed candidates to be announced by August 6. Voting runs from September 9 to October 11. Councillors running in 2025 Local Democracy Reporting asked the mayor and councillors who would seek re-election. Mayor Tania Tapsell – Yes Robert Lee – Yes (and for mayor) Karen Barker – Yes Don Paterson – Yes Fisher Wang – Yes Trevor Maxwell – Yes Conan O'Brien – Yes Rawiri Waru – Yes Lani Kereopa – No Gregg Brown – No Sandra Kai Fong – No response Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years. – LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
09-06-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
'Unsafe levels': Toxic gas concern closes events centre office
The office at Rotorua's Energy Events Centre is being monitored daily and the council's property team is checking gas levels on a 'regular basis'. Photo: Andrew Warner An office within Rotorua's Energy Events Centre has closed after "unsafe levels" of a toxic gas were detected. An agenda item for last week's Rotorua Lakes Council infrastructure and environment committee meeting detailed how levels of hydrogen sulphide "rose significantly" in the sales and finance office recently. The area was closed due to "unsafe levels", and an investigation was to begin to identify and provide longer-term remediation. The council provided more details after questions from Local Democracy Reporting. "A staff member detected and reported an unusual odour in an office and promptly reported it." A facilities manager then used a calibrated gas monitor to investigate and found an initial hydrogen sulphide reading of 30.6 parts per million (ppm) near the staff member's desk. "Subsequent tests showed levels fluctuating between 0-5 ppm, well below the serious harm threshold of 250-500 ppm," a spokesperson said. The incident did not meet the criteria for reporting it to WorkSafe, as it was addressed promptly upon reporting by staff. "Recent tests have shown safe levels and, as a precaution, the office will remain closed until [the] potential cause has been identified." The building was monitored daily and the council's property team monitored gas on a "regular basis". Investigations were continuing to identify the possible source of the initial elevated reading. WorkSafe's website describes hydrogen sulphide as a highly toxic, colourless gas that occurs in a variety of natural and industrial settings, including geothermal ones. The events centre is based at Sulphur Point, a geothermal hotspot. Impacts of exposure vary according to concentration. At low levels, hydrogen sulphide can irritate the eyes, nose and throat. Exposure to high levels may cause shortness of breath, lung damage or cardiac arrest. At less than 1ppm, most people smell something similar to rotten eggs. Between 20 and 150ppm, the nose and throat may feel dry and irritated. Eyes sting, itch or water, and "gas eye" symptoms (similar to mild conjunctivitis) may occur. Prolonged exposure may cause coughing, hoarseness, shortness of breath and a runny nose. Levels above 100ppm are "immediately dangerous to life and health". Levels above 500ppm cause immediate loss of consciousness. "Death is rapid, sometimes immediate." WorkSafe confirmed it had not been notified. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NZ Herald
21-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Serious crash near Rotorua
Rotorua's Reg Stag speeds to victory at 2025 Red Bull Trolley Grand Prix. Video / Red Bull Smoke from the Rotorua Recycling Centre fire blanketed the surrounding area. Video / Supplied Amelia Branson is going to America for surgery and radiation for her brain tumour, which costs about $550,000. Video / Megan Wilson Thousands attend official Waitangi Day event in Rotorua. Video / Kelly Makiha Locals feared they looked like container homes when they first arrived, but today they had a chance to look through the finished product. Video / Kelly Makiha Security footage of a ram raid at Westbrook Liquor Centre in Rotorua. Video / Supplied Vaishali McNeill, 15, died in a 2023 head-on crash with a truck. Parents Sarb Mann and David McNeill want harsher penalties for impaired drivers. Video / Andrew Warner, Supplied Twelve fire crews joined the battle to contain a scrub fire in the Tahorakuri Forest area between Rotorua and Taupō on Wednesday. Video / Supplied Rotorua Māori ward councillor Rawiri Waru at the final meeting for the year. Video / Laura Smith Salvation Army's choice model supermarket empowers those in need. Video / Andrew Warner The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM presenter Paul Hickey announces the final tally for Fill the Bus 2024. The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM's Fill the Bus fundraiser is part of the six-week annual Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal for the foodbank. Video of the fire showed large flames and black smoke coming from an address on Ngongotahā Rd at the time. Video / Out There Industries Thousands of protesters marching up Fenton St in Rotorua Hīkoi mō te Tiriti protesters in Rotorua.
RNZ News
04-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
How Rotorua is bucking the national trend for new home builds
Rotorua has seen the third year in a row for record new homes constructed. Photo: LDR /Andrew Warner Rotorua has hit its highest number of new build homes in 14 years, bucking the national trend. It comes as a new assessment finds the city has more than enough future housing capacity, a turnaround from shortage projections. More than 500 homes were built in the city last year, about half of them social housing or affordable rentals. Rotorua Lakes Council destination development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston told an April meeting many of the 522 houses were built in the central and western areas. Net new homes reached 483 after accounting for homes removed to make way for developments. It was the third year in a row that new home numbers peaked since 2011, and another 600 homes were in the pipeline for the next couple of years. Data provided to Local Democracy Reporting showed 304 of the new houses were built in Rotorua's western and central areas: The council had a goal of building 3000 new homes in those areas by 2032. After the meeting, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said improving housing options for the city remained a top priority for the council as it would have "huge benefits for our community". "These housing developments are not just public homes, but all types of homes, including affordable rentals and retirement options for our older residents. "I know the economy has been uncertain but despite slower markets elsewhere, we've got a strong number of building consents coming through in Rotorua." Twenty new two and three-bedroom Kāinga Ora apartments are on Lake Rd. Photo: LDR / supplied Tapsell said the council would continue to work to unlock land and opportunities for new homes. In February, Local Democracy Reporting wrote that $259 million worth of new residential and commercial buildings were consented in Rotorua in the year to September - more than double the $112.2m of consents issued in 2023. According to Stats NZ, new dwelling consents nationwide in 2024 were down 9.8 percent on 2023. Gaston wrote in the meeting's agenda the city avoided the national decline in building numbers because of multi-year investment by Kāinga Ora and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, support for Māori affordable rental development, and significant staged developments such as Freedom Village. The recent fast-track consenting of a new Summerset lifestyle village in Fairy Springs provided additional future certainty of 260 housing units within the short/medium-term, Gaston wrote. Other projects included the first 16 homes in the Ōwhata Kōhanga Rākau iwi-led housing development on the east side of Rotorua, which opened in November and will eventually have 93 homes including 38 affordable rentals and kaumātua housing. A council spokesperson said it knew of 262 among last year's 522 new builds that were social housing or affordable rentals. Among these were 17 two-bedroom and three three-bedroom homes on Lake Rd. This Kāinga Ora development opened in May. A Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga - Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MHUD) spokesman said 101 homes were built as part of MHUD housing programmes, including 80 iwi-led Māori affordable rentals. Kāinga Ora added 104 new social housing places to its stock in Rotorua. The spokesman said Rotorua's housing shortage resulted from a rapid increase in the resident population from 2013 and too few houses being built to meet the demand. The rental market tightened and rents rose relative to incomes, leading to more households on the Housing Register and large numbers in temporary or emergency accommodation. This peaked at 699 households in December 2021. The ministry partnered with others including iwi and the council to make a plan for Rotorua including short-term and more permanent housing solutions. The number of households in temporary and emergency housing had dropped to 96 as of March. "This is a result of the government's significant investment in Rotorua." The city remained a priority for the Ministry with a "strong pipeline" of additional housing places to be delivered - 170 state homes by mid-2025 and another 72 by July 2026. The government was criticised for using Rotorua's motels as a "dumping ground" for the country's homeless during peak pandemic years, but consistently denied actively bringing in out-of-towners. The last Housing and Business Development Capacity Assessment in 2021 projected the city was heading for a 10,000-home shortage in the long-term, by 2050. An updated assessment from 2024 presented to a council meeting on Wednesday found an overall surplus of 300 - 1600 dwellings short-term, 2200 - 5200 medium-term, and 10,100 - 24,700 long-term. This turnaround was broadly credited to work identifying and preparing new greenfield (undeveloped) land for housing, and enabling intensification. "This puts the district in a good position to respond to what the community needs as it grows and to make adjustments if needed," Gaston said in a statement. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
