Rotorua Daily Post
Probe bid a ‘vendetta’
Acouncillor’s bid for a probe into how more than $70 million for two projects came to be included in Rotorua Lakes Council budgets has been voted down. Colleagues described Robert Lee’s investigation request as a “vendetta” and “Groundhog Day” at the...
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Airport’s business park plan gets set for takeoff
Rotorua Airport’s longplanned business park has moved a step closer to reality. A resource consent application seeks Bay of Plenty Regional Council approval for earthworks across about 5.65ha of airport land. The works would prepare land for future...
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‘About us, without us’ — Dispute over lake funding
Adispute over $2 million of lake restoration funding has opened a bigger debate over who shapes the future of Rotorua’s lakes. Te Arawa Lakes Trust (TALT) says a long-running funding agreement created after a Treaty of Waitangi settlement is no longer...
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‘Historical wrong’
The Rotorua Lakes Council will publicly apologise for rejecting a Lakeland Queen petition three years ago, after accepting the Ombudsman’s finding that this was unreasonable. The decision came after councillor Robert Lee presented a notice of motion...
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Investigation ‘needs to happen yesterday’
Forever chemicals have been detected in Lake Rotorua, prompting calls for urgent testing and renewed questions about the safety of food gathered from the lake. Investigators found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS or forever...
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$319k bill to store, insure, maintain art
Rotorua Lakes Council is spending more than $319,000 a year to store, insure and maintain a $21 million-plus art collection — much of which the public hasn’t seen since Rotorua Museum closed in 2016. The council holds 2878 works of art, including 1526...
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Judge jails pageant boss for charity fraud
Rotorua fashion designer Kharl WiRepa has been jailed for three years after ripping off charities involved in the Miss Rotorua beauty pageant and spending the money on himself. WiRepa, sole director of the Miss Rotorua Foundation, was described in a...
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‘Preventable’: Review
Adamning review into the deadly Mount Maunganui landslide has revealed a litany of failures by authorities who missed opportunities to evacuate campers to safety in a disaster that was “preventable”. Six holidaymakers, including two Rotorua friends,...
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‘Grave concern’ ignored
Rotorua Lakes Council’s approval of a sewerage scheme that routed a pipeline past the culturally significant Lake Rotokā kahi without properly engaging the lake’s governing body broke the law, the High Court has ruled. Justice Kiri Tahana declared...
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‘We still suffer’
The man who murdered Tokoroa schoolteacher Lois Dear in her classroom 20 years ago says he can now forgive himself for what he did. But Dear’s son, Kevin McNeil, says he will never forgive Whetu Te Hiko and he hopes he stays in prison forever. Te Hiko...
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1.13c back on the dollar
The Crown and Rotorua Trust have received about 1c in the dollar back from more than $10 million in loans to iconic Rotorua business QE Health, which is in liquidation. The liquidator has also confirmed the company no longer has the $19m purpose-built...
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The hidden cost of elite sport
Asix-figure family investment, 40-hour work weeks alongside training, and years of fundraising. Those are some of the hidden costs behind young New Zealand athletes pursuing opportunities on the world stage. Whether it’s basketball in the United...
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Survivors reconnect
Doug Green still thinks about the “ifs and buts” of the crash that killed two rugby teammates after a game in 1966. On August 14 of that year — a Sunday — a car carrying four young rugby players was in a head-on collision in the lakeside dairy farming...
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Hipkins: ‘I regret that it got to that point’
Labour leader Chris Hipkins says he is committed to ensuring emergency housing does not get “out of hand” in Rotorua again if his party is elected to Government. But he stopped short of an apology to the city. He also says voters are looking for...
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Who gets the Kā inga Ora homes?
Kā inga Ora has been asked for an “urgent update” over who it approves for its new Rotorua houses, following claims more out-oftowners are coming to the city for housing. Percy Poharama from Feeding Rotorua Charitable Trust, which feeds those most in...
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Flood of puppies
Bay of Plenty animal rescue groups are struggling to cope with an influx of dumped and unwanted puppies. Vada’s Angels Animal Rescue Trust founder and team manager Kat Thompson said she and her team were “overwhelmed and exhausted” by the flood of...
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Homeless at risk in cold
Freezing Bay of Plenty temperatures have left unhoused people facing a night-long battle against hypothermia and illness. Support organisations say the bitter conditions are placing vulnerable people at greater risk, adding hardship. The region awoke...
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‘Continuing simply wasn’t sustainable’ Three eateries shut in a week as rising costs, weak spending bite
Three Rotorua hospitality businesses have closed within a week of each other, highlighting the challenging trading environment facing the sector. Hello Stranger Cafe, Ambrosia Restaurant and Bar, and Piccalo Cafe announced closures within days of each...
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Residents threaten legal action over papakā inga
Lake Rotoiti residents are considering taking Rotorua Lakes Council to the High Court over its decision to approve a papakāinga housing development without public notification. The council says the application did not meet the legal threshold for...
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What are the odds of survival?
Rotorua Racing Club chief executive Damien Radesic is having deja vu. Arawa Park is again facing the axe after New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and Harness Racing New Zealand recommended its closure. The recommendation stems from an independent report,...
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Looking back on 50 years of iconic Rotorua firm
Rotorua company Hickey Contractors has folded one month before it would have celebrated its 50th birthday. The company, based in Te Ngae Rd, wound up at the end of June, seven months after a new Aucklandbased owner took it over. Twelve full-time...
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Plan to tackle homelessness
Almost half of people seeking housing assistance in Rotorua are among the highest-need applicants, with new figures revealing the scale of the district’s ongoing homelessness challenge. Rotorua Lakes Council endorsed a strategy to “manage, reduce and...
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$6.5M DOPE BUST
Up to $6.5 million worth of cannabis has been seized in Rotorua after police swooped on what they say is a large-scale organised crime ring. Police say they have dealt a major blow to the drug market, busting an alleged commercialscale growing...
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Bunny TikToks send Rotorua mini golf viral
Filming “funny moments” of bunnies on a mini golf course has led to online fame and increased visitor numbers for one Rotorua business. Rotorua Mini Golf started posting videos of its eight resident bunnies on TikTok in 2023 to see how it might attract...
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Rotorua out on its own, merger deal collapses
Rotorua has been left without an amalgamation partner after a previously “locked in” agreement with South Waikato fell apart weeks before councils must submit their proposals under the Government’s local government reform programme. The Government...
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Locals rally to save iconic Rotorua arches
Rotorua locals are rallying to save the city’s Prince’s Gate Archway before “irreversible” work is done to take it down. Those with construction experience say they want to work with Rotorua Lakes Council to restore the “iconic” arches after the...
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Bird flu cases trigger biosecurity crackdown
Bay of Plenty conservation groups and a poultry supplier are tightening biosecurity measures to safeguard animals after New Zealand’s first confirmed detections of a deadly bird flu strain. A Rotorua-based bird conservation organisation has stopped...
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‘We must keep trying ... they’re human beings’
Two Rotorua councillors have expressed disappointment over changes to the council’s pensioner housing portfolio, with one saying the issue keeps him up at night. Community housing provider Emerge Aotearoa took over management of Rotorua Lakes...
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Mum calls for better disability support
Auckland mother Amie Spence first discovered “something wasn’t quite right” when her son Sebastian began to walk and run. Sebastian, 7, was born premature and suffered a brain bleed during birth. He was diagnosed with “mild” cerebral palsy aged...
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Teen turns school project into business
Izzy Talbot took a Year 13 assignment a little too seriously. The former Rotorua Western Heights High School student was asked to create a fake business last year. As the class became a year-long “step-by-step” guide to creating a business, Talbot...
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1100 parking permits issued amid backlash
Rotorua Lakes Council said its new parking system was operating as expected after its first week, with more than 1100 permits sold since the system was introduced. But concerns remain among some city businesses that the changes are confusing customers...
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‘You cannot replicate history’
Rotorua locals hope the city’s historic Prince’s Gate Archway can be strengthened or rebuilt after the council confirmed it would be taken down for safety reasons. Rotorua Lakes Council said on Tuesday that engineering assessments found the Prince’s...
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‘Butter chicken’ backlash halts political move
One of Rotorua’s most popular local politicians considered putting his hand up for New Zealand First candidacy, but says race-related comments from within the party about Indian culture put him off. First-term Bay of Plenty regional councillor and...
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Is Plenty enough?
Small Bay of Plenty businesses are struggling to keep pace on productivity, a new report suggests. Data from technology company Xero ranked the region in the bottom third of the country for small business labour productivity. It did this by measuring...
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It was ‘the place to be’
Rotorua was “heaving” with visitors at the weekend as those making the most of the long weekend surged to the city, creating a preCovid buzz not seen in years. Rotorua’s accommodation, hospitality and visitor sectors say with the long weekend for...
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Pensioners fear being homeless by Christmas
Rotorua Lakes Council is exploring options to redevelop the city’s largest pensioner housing complex. A resident of the Lucas Pl site in Fenton Park says some tenants do not want to move and fear they will be “homeless by Christmas”. The council says...
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Rotorua Hospital adds 18 beds for winter
Eighteen temporary beds have been added to Rotorua Hospital wards to help manage winter demand. It comes as a Rotorua GP reports a “usual winter” with many viral respiratory illnesses hitting patients, while PHF Science data shows calls to Healthline...
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Space to build 400 homes: Historic farm to be sold
Hunts Farm is on the market with the potential for a developer to build 400 homes. The Hunt family has owned the 54ha freehold block between Parklands Estate and Matipo Ave in Sunnybrook since 1920. The land was identified as a growth area within the...
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Dad dies minutes after escaping house fire
ARotorua man described as an incredible father died minutes after escaping uninjured from his burning home yesterday, his son says. He told the Rotorua Daily Post it was hard to believe his 60-year-old father survived a burning house only to die from...
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Iconic hotel for sale ‘There are investors out there'
One of Rotorua’s most iconic hotels is for sale, the city’s fourth big accommodation property to come on the market in recent months. Rydges Rotorua on Tyron St is on the outskirts of the Whakarewarewa geothermal village. It has 203 guest rooms and...
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‘Triumph of spirit’: ‘A fresh start' for Jakob Teen’s nine-month hospital stay finally set to end
At last, a home is on the horizon for a disabled teenager who has spent the past nine months living in Rotorua Hospital. And all it took was for Jakob Tindle to turn 18. His Taupō-based mother, Melissa Humphrey, says she is now excited about her son’s...
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Star stands by his ex-Lotto presenter mate
Actor Temuera Morrison is standing by his former Lotto presenter friend despite his crimes, while experts say taxpayer money spent on five years of gardening leave is “very unlikely” to be recovered. Russell Harrison was arrested five years ago in an...
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Rotorua firm fined for releasing harmful gas
Along-standing Rotorua business and one of its senior employees have been fined after admitting they deliberately discharged a potent synthetic greenhouse gas into the air. In the Rotorua District Court last Thursday, Judge Louis Bidois said...
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L.A.B back with new
Anew family-friendly summer festival is coming to Rotorua. Bay of Plenty band and foundation partner L.A.B say they are “really excited” to bring their new one-day festival 8th Wonder to the “perfect” spot in Rotorua on January 23. The festival will...
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Retailer fears losses from parking shake-up
ARotorua shop owner fears new city centre parking rules coming into effect today could hurt his business. Rotorua Lakes Council’s overhaul includes having two paid parking zones in the CBD and areas only available to people who buy permits for all-day...
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‘It was a big job’
An iwi-based housing organisation has rescued a failed development on Frank St in Rotorua, allowing 39 families to have new homes. Kōhanga Rākau Housing has just finished building rental homes in Koutu after swooping in to buy the unfinished Mountview...
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Insurer ordered to pay after months-long saga
The owner of a Mercedes whose front wheel “sheared off” after hitting a pothole thought the worst part of the ordeal was over when he lodged an insurance claim. Instead, the damage caused by the pothole marked the beginning of a months-long saga that...
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Funding standoff over airport intersection upgrade
Afunding standoff has emerged between Rotorua Lakes Council and the New Zealand Transport Agency over proposed highway upgrades near Rotorua Airport. NZTA says there is not enough traffic on State Highway 30/Te Ngae Rd to justify investment, while the...
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‘Future tenants should be aware’
Abid by Rotorua landlords Stephen and Jasu Bhana to keep their names secret in a recent Tenancy Tribunal case has been refused. The tribunal ruled the public needs to know who they are, given repeated issues with their rentals and “a pattern of...
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Rotorua iwi unveils new kaumā tua care model
ARotorua iwi has launched a “world-first” aged care model designed to support kaumātua at home for as long as possible. Ngāti Whakaue unveiled the papakāinga model of care “designed by iwi, for iwi” at Te Puia in Rotorua on Friday. About 160 people...
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Leaking hospital baby unit set for overhaul
Rotorua Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) refurbishment will begin in October after reports of “severe” and “ongoing” water leaks since December 2024, newly released documents show. Te Kawana Tapara, the father of a premature baby staying in...
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‘That’s not my signature’
Michael Waikato started to think there was no way out. He was living in emergency housing among troubled individuals and enduring thumping noise at all hours. Then, in September 2024, he got what he thought was a godsend. It was a phone call from...
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Pharmacy owners call it a day after 26 years
For 26 years, pharmacists Francis Dragicevich and Brett Fordyce have been in the business of making Rotorua residents feel better. Tens of thousands of flu jabs and other immunisations, fixing rashes, giving remedies for coughs, colds, flu and...
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K¯ainga Ora’s new homes ready
Amajor Kā inga Ora housing project in Rotorua’s CBD for 36 households is finished, with new tenants expected to move in next week. The three-level apartment block on Victoria St, on the corners of Ruihi and Herewini Sts, is directly opposite Rotorua...
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‘Just not a good look’
Adaily stroll along the Rotorua Lakefront has been a form of physical and emotional rehab for local Ian Wadsley after a heart scare last year. He even carries a bag of feed to greet his favourite duck on his outings. But he says his walks have...
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Early test may have spared major surgery
Aveterinarian who had a cancerous tumour removed says she could have avoided the surgery if the bowel screening age was lower. Dr Sally Aitken was 50 when she was diagnosed with Stage 1 adenocarcinoma bowel cancer in 2023 after she experienced “one...
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Rotorua rental price growth slowing
Rotorua rental price growth has slowed as rising supply and shifting tenant expectations reshape the market. Property managers say tenants have become increasingly “price sensitive”, with clearer expectations around quality and value. Sought-after...
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The chronicles of a Rotorua aid worker
Stephen Court describes himself as having a “very high tolerance for risk”. He’s not kidding. His CV reads like something out of a Boy’s Own manual — from living in a remote, water-based jungle infested with crocodiles in Papua New Guinea, where a pig...
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Significantly deteriorated geothermal bores a safety risk, says council
Two geothermal bores that heated an apartment block and three neighbouring businesses in Rotorua’s inner city have been closed because of safety concerns. The closure means those impacted must find alternative heating, with one business spending...
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CBD hospo owners hopeful
Scope Cafe owner Dave Fabling is confident his business will not “join the queue” of failing eateries. Hospitality liquidations surged nearly 50% in the year to March, the latest Centrix Credit Indicator shows, with more than 400 businesses closing...
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‘We ... create value’
The Government’s plan to prevent unelected people voting on council committees has reignited a debate over who influences decision-making at Rotorua Lakes Council. Local Government Minister Simon Watts last week announced plans to amend the Local...
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‘Voice of calm’ Te Arawa mourns ‘a mighty man’
Ken Raureti was a humble, gentle giant who brought people together in an often divided world. Now the man who never sought the spotlight is the centre of tributes, following his death at the weekend. The iwi leader, mediator and environmental worker...
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1100 attacks in 5 years and just 14 prosecutions
Rotorua Lakes Council has recorded more than 1100 dog attacks in five years – but only 14 resulted in a prosecution, prompting a local victim whose sheep have been attacked to call for tougher enforcement. Data obtained by the Rotorua Daily Post shows...
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What drove pro rugby star to legal profession
Ngarimu Simpkins was a professional rugby player and coach as well as a teacher. Now he’s tackling a new field — as a lawyer. His career is glittering. But he’s upfront. He could have done things a bit better. He’s referring to his 2016 convictions...
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‘Crossed the line’: Signature exposed in tenancy case
Arenter embroiled in a tenancy dispute with controversial Rotorua landlord Stephen Bhana used a handwriting expert to successfully challenge claims he had signed a document accepting responsibility for property damage. The expert said the signature...
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Police ‘got it wrong’ in high-speed pursuit
Police “got it wrong” and were operating on “incorrect assumptions” when they continued a high-risk pursuit of two teenagers in Rotorua who they wrongly thought could have had a gun, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has found. The chase...
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Court frustration
Acrowd of more than 50 people were forced to wait outside the Rotorua Courthouse, some in the rain, for about an hour as court queues caused delays. Potential jurors, defendants, supporters and court workers were among those mingling as they waited to...
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Hotel deal step closer for prime Lakefront site
Anew landmark hotel on Rotorua’s Lakefront is a significant step closer to reality with iwi landowners signing a deal with a developer. Pukeroa Lakefront Holdings Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with New Zealand developer Templeton...
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‘A recipe for disaster’
The principal of a Rotorua primary school has called on Rotorua Lakes Council and the New Zealand Transport Agency to address safety concerns around a nearby pedestrian crossing he describes as an “accident waiting to happen”. But the council says...
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Champion of Mā ori voices gains award
The true value of Dr Reuben Collier’s work will be in years to come, when the precious stories he’s documented can still be told. The Rotorua-based television producer, business owner and academic has been appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order...
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