Tania Tapsell: Rotorua mayor on the end of emergency housing motels in Rotorua

Rotorua's mayor is overjoyed the era of emergency housing motels is over - with no families left in them. 

At its peak, more than 240 households were living across 13 motels

Tania Tapsell says delivering affordable houses has made a huge difference. 

She says the city's recent tourism lift has also helped mend its reputation. 

"Between building the homes we actually needed, affordable ones, and boosting our economy, it's going to be great. Our tourism industry here is the heartbeat of Rotorua."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The days of emergency housing are all through and may
finally be over. The government has ended the house are
the use rather of contracted emergency housing motels in the city.
There are now no households in emergency housing. The Itania
Tapsle is the mayor of Rotruen. She's with us.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Titania, Am I the happiest me in the country right now? Potentially?
Are you?

Speaker 1 (00:18):
How happy?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Are you? Oh? So happy? Look, you know, it's no
secret the social disaster that we had of these emergency
housing motils, and I'm just so happy for my community
that we've seen the end of it.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Now where have the people gone?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Though? Yeah, and that's a good question. And the good
news is we worked alongside this government to deliver a
record amount of affordable houses. And when I say affordable,
I say late eighty percent of market rent. This is
a big difference for the people that found themselves in
emergency housing motels.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
A whole bunch of these people were actually shipped in
by labor, right, so they came from outside of r
They have been put in the motels. And let's be honest
about it, a bunch of the people who would have
been in these motels will now end up on the street,
are ending up on the street in Routu.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Look, and that has been a genuine concern, but I'm
really happy to confirm that is absolutely not the case.
We do have some people on the streets, as all
towns do. We've got about twelve to fifteen on any
given day. But you know what, we have constantly offered
these people help access to services that are available. We're
so lucky to be in a country that does have
services and help available. And unfortunately, at the end of this,

(01:28):
it is a health problem. There's dragon addiction issues. It's
not a housing problem, Tanya.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
I mean, this has done your city no end of
harm just in terms of reputation and branding. Do you
reckon how long before you get your city back to
what it was before twenty twenty one when this started.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah. Look, and this is where I really need to
thank this government because they also backed it up with
giving us just over four million dollars to boost our tourism.
So that's promoting internationally as well, and between building the
homes we actually needed, affordable ones and boosting our economy,
that'd be great, Like our tourism industry here in a
Usta is the heartbeat of RULSTERA. They are awesome, they're

(02:05):
incredible and we are welcoming back heats of visitors. In fact,
our spend is actually just over what it used to
be in COVID prior, so we're very happy and it
also to come and see us anytime.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Good stuff.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Thank you, Tanya.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Tanya taps a, mayor of rot.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
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Speaker 1 (02:25):
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