Young girls caught on CCTV relating to slashed tyres
A second bronze sculpture dedicated to the memory of a much-loved stray dog in Rotorua that lived beside Te Ngae Rd has been unveiled to the public. Video / Kelly Makiha
Rotorua Hospital's children's unit has undergone refurbishment. Video / Laura Smith
Nikau Grace's latest project with Waiata Anthems has seen a new song and documentary released about her love of Kawerau and how you can beat the odds. Video / Supplied
Tom Stephenson says he hears the hounds from his property daily. Video / Supplied
Hosted by the Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival, Taumata Soloman pays homage to cultural entrepreneur and kapa haka legend Wetini Mitai Ngatai. Video / Aleyna Martinez
Vehicles were caught in a slip on State Highway 2 at Waiotahe in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Video / Andrea Casey
An investigation is under way after a body was found in a burning vehicle on State Highway 1 near Ātiamuri between Tokoroa and Taupō last night. Video / Dan Hutchinson
Lynmore Primary School pupils spent the day at NZME learning about the media.
Hundreds lost power after a car crashed into power pole on Te Ngae Rd on Monday night. Video / Supplied
The Voices in the Shadows by Rotorua's Wairea Company features Tame Iti and premieres as part of the Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival 2024.
Julian Dean chats with Budgie Woods, recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, about why he wants to donate his Tour de France bike to charity. Video / Supplied
Finance Minister Nicola Willis speaks after an event for women in local politics in Wellington. Video / Laura Smith
Two boys, with estimated ages of 6 and 10, broke into Rotorua Autohaus on Lake Rd on a Sunday afternoon and stole two dirt bikes valued at $4000.
Police outside a Tūrangi address following the launch of a homicide investigation. Video / Dan Hutchinson
Carlo Lumapas began teaching residents at Arvida Glenbrae to upcycle rubbished bikes aiming to give them to children who can't afford them this Christmas. Video / Aleyna Martinez
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Scoop
26-05-2025
- Scoop
Controversial Plan To Move Prisoner Reintegration Facility Takes Next Step
Article – Laura Smith – Local Democracy Reporter It comes as the council investigates the facility's activities at its current site. The public will have a say on a controversial plan to move a prisoner reintegration facility to a rural Rotorua valley. Rotorua Lakes Council has publicly notified a resource consent application for Pūwhakamua to operate in Waikite. A notice in today's Rotorua Daily Post said submissions would close at 5pm on June 25. It comes as the council investigates the existing Pūwhakamua facility, based near Rotorua Airport, after issuing, then cancelling, a notice ordering it to cease operations because of consent matters. Pūwhakamua is a tikanga Māori live-in reintegration service supporting men on parole to return and readapt into the community. It was the brainchild of reformed drug lord Billy Macfarlane, who works as general manager, and is run by Tikanga Aroro Charitable Trust, with a contract from the Department of Corrections. Pūwhakamua has been operating on the leased site since 2018 and Corrections has funded it at least $4.6 million since November 2022. The trust aimed to develop a new site on nearby Māori land behind Rotokawa Baths, but landowners successfully sought an injunction through the Māori Land Court, meaning it had to find another new home. The trust applied for resource consent in October to relocate to Waikite, about 40km south of Rotorua. It had requested limited notification be carried out for immediate neighbours and that submissions be invited through a formal process. Community members told councillors last year they opposed the facility relocation, fearing the rural setting increased safety and security risks. They called for full public notification, allowing wider submissions. The Rotorua Rural Community Board was advised in a meeting on Tuesday the application would be publicly notified. The trust's application said the rural environment meant a 'focus on cultural values can be fostered away from the distractions of an urban environment'. 'Full support and care are provided through the programme via on-site resident staff and external agencies. Residents commit to pursuing lasting change through support with daily life tasks, upskilling programmes, vocational education, personal development and employment.' The trust hit consent issues at its current site this year. On March 5, the council sent an abatement notice ordering the 'unconsented' facility to cease operations and take steps to gain consent. Rehabilitation centres could be considered community housing under the District Plan, but must only have up to eight residents, whose movements could not be legally restricted – including by parole conditions. Pūwhakamua was hosting 14 parolees in February when the council inspected after neighbours raised concerns. The abatement notice was cancelled on March 24. Council destination development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston told Local Democracy Reporting an investigation into activities on the site was ongoing. He declined to comment further, saying the council did not intend to conduct the investigation through the media. Trust chairman Doug Macredie said the abatement notice was a 'non-event based on incorrect information' and was quickly cancelled. 'That said, we've taken the opportunity to review our land use in accordance with tikanga, and will continue in humility and thankfulness.' Macredie said the Waikite Valley consent notification was for the council to decide. 'We are progressing with the full support of our network and observing improved accuracy of information resulting in greater public support.' He previously said no one who could not be safely managed in the community could live at Pūwhakamua and everyone referred was assessed while still in custody. Active gang members were not considered, community safety was the 'No 1 priority' and Pūwhakamua staff were on-site at all times. A Corrections spokesperson said finding safe accommodation for people lawfully required to be released from prison was one of its 'most significant challenges'. 'Without supported accommodation, they could be homeless and living on the streets or in cars. This would present an unacceptable safety risk to communities.' According to Corrections statements, the number of men living on site at Pūwhakamua had fluctuated from eight when the notice was cancelled to nine about two weeks ago and six as of Wednesday. Eight other participants in the programme lived off-site. Corrections' communities, partnerships and pathways deputy chief executive Sean Mason told Local Democracy Reporting last month that it met with trust and council after the abatement notice. He understood the trust sought independent advice to ensure Pūwhakamua was compliant and was keeping Corrections informed. The department had developed a contingency plan in place to safely house the residents if they had needed to leave Pūwhakamua. Mason said reintegration services were important in reducing the risk of reoffending. A communication from the council to the trust, sent to Local Democracy Reporting by Corrections, said the abatement notice was cancelled to allow time for an independent planning consultant to consider an assessment undertaken on behalf of the trust.
NZ Herald
25-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Controversial plan to move prisoner reintegration facility takes next step
It was the brainchild of reformed drug lord Billy Macfarlane, who works as general manager, and is run by Tikanga Aroro Charitable Trust, with a contract from the Department of Corrections. Pūwhakamua has been operating on the leased site since 2018 and Corrections has funded it at least $4.6 million since November 2022. The trust aimed to develop a new site on nearby Māori land behind Rotokawa Baths, but landowners successfully sought an injunction through the Māori Land Court, meaning it had to find another new home. The trust applied for resource consent in October to relocate to Waikite, about 40km south of Rotorua. It had requested limited notification be carried out for immediate neighbours and that submissions be invited through a formal process. Community members told councillors last year they opposed the facility relocation, fearing the rural setting increased safety and security risks. They called for full public notification, allowing wider submissions. About 80 people attended a Rotorua Lakes Council meeting in November, most of them for a petition opposing a resource consent application. Photo / Laura Smith The Rotorua Rural Community Board was advised in a meeting on Tuesday the application would be publicly notified. The trust's application said the rural environment meant a 'focus on cultural values can be fostered away from the distractions of an urban environment'. 'Full support and care are provided through the programme via on-site resident staff and external agencies. Residents commit to pursuing lasting change through support with daily life tasks, upskilling programmes, vocational education, personal development and employment.' The trust hit consent issues at its current site this year. On March 5, the council sent an abatement notice ordering the 'unconsented' facility to cease operations and take steps to gain consent. Rehabilitation centres could be considered community housing under the District Plan, but must only have up to eight residents, whose movements could not be legally restricted – including by parole conditions. Pūwhakamua was hosting 14 parolees in February when the council inspected after neighbours raised concerns. The abatement notice was cancelled on March 24. Council destination development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston told Local Democracy Reporting an investigation into activities on the site was ongoing. He declined to comment further, saying the council did not intend to conduct the investigation through the media. Billy Macfarlane, founder of Rotorua-based organisation Pūwhakamua. Photo / Aleyna Martinez Trust chairman Doug Macredie said the abatement notice was a 'non-event based on incorrect information' and was quickly cancelled. 'That said, we've taken the opportunity to review our land use in accordance with tikanga, and will continue in humility and thankfulness.' Macredie said the Waikite Valley consent notification was for the council to decide. 'We are progressing with the full support of our network and observing improved accuracy of information resulting in greater public support.' He previously said no one who could not be safely managed in the community could live at Pūwhakamua and everyone referred was assessed while still in custody. Active gang members were not considered, community safety was the 'No 1 priority' and Pūwhakamua staff were on-site at all times. A Corrections spokesperson said finding safe accommodation for people lawfully required to be released from prison was one of its 'most significant challenges'. 'Without supported accommodation, they could be homeless and living on the streets or in cars. This would present an unacceptable safety risk to communities.' According to Corrections statements, the number of men living on site at Pūwhakamua had fluctuated from eight when the notice was cancelled to nine about two weeks ago and six as of Wednesday. Eight other participants in the programme lived off-site. Corrections' communities, partnerships and pathways deputy chief executive Sean Mason told Local Democracy Reporting last month that it met with trust and council after the abatement notice. He understood the trust sought independent advice to ensure Pūwhakamua was compliant and was keeping Corrections informed. The department had developed a contingency plan in place to safely house the residents if they had needed to leave Pūwhakamua. Mason said reintegration services were important in reducing the risk of reoffending. A communication from the council to the trust, sent to Local Democracy Reporting by Corrections, said the abatement notice was cancelled to allow time for an independent planning consultant to consider an assessment undertaken on behalf of the trust. Laura Smith is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. She previously reported general news for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express, and has been a journalist since 2019. – LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Scoop
Rotorua Drivers Hit With Month's Parking Fees In One Day
Article – Laura Smith – Local Democracy Reporter The council has apologised for any 'short-term inconvenience' the issue caused. Rotorua's parking service is investigating a transaction delay that led to drivers being charged about a month's worth of fees at one time. Rotorua Lakes Council says the charges relate to genuine parking activity and has apologised for 'any short-term inconvenience' caused. It contracts i-Park for its parking services and users can pay by machine or by the PrestoPark app. In the first few days of May an unknown number of app users were charged about a month's worth of parking activity at one time. One driver who was charged $264 worth of 16 transactions started a discussion on social media about the issue. Both they and another commenter said they were unable to compare the charge, which was dated to one day, to dates they parked in the app, and believed the app said payments had gone through at the time they parked. One person said they had not parked long enough to be charged $4 to $6. Another said there was 'no foul here' having confirmed they were charged late for what they had parked. One person Local Democracy Reporting contacted was charged three weeks of parking worth $231. The council posted to its Facebook page on Saturday that users may notice 'multiple delayed parking payments' on their cards. 'While some of these payments may be up to one month old, we would like to reassure customers that the charges relate to genuine previous parking activity.' It said i-Park was investigating and apologised for any concern it caused. The app was now processing transactions successfully, it said. In response to Local Democracy Reporting questions the council's destination development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston reiterated its Facebook post and said the investigation was in the early stages. 'It would be premature to speculate any further at this time. 'Due to the technical nature of the issue, this may take some time to resolve. i-Park is continuing to keep [the] council informed of their investigation and any developments.' An update would be provided once the investigation was complete and the app would be monitored in the interim to ensure transactions were successful. 'We encourage anyone who has had an issue with the PrestoPark app to contact i-Park on 07 958 9805 or email support@ 'We apologise for any short-term inconvenience that this may have caused.' – LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
