I’ve suspected something for a while, and now that I’ve watched the Sunday programme on the emergency housing disaster in Roturua, I’m convinced. Rotorua will not recover from this. It will not go back to being the city it was.
It’s just not possible. This has gone too far now. 50 motels on or near Fenton Street are housing the homeless. There are about 1100 people in Rotorua in these motels or similar.
All of these people need houses. The council reckons it’s going to take them 5 years, at least, to build enough homes which means for the next five years those people are still in those motels, trashing them like we saw on Sunday. Causing fights on the street outside. Freaking neighbours out so they sleep with baseball bats by the door.
So for the next five years they will also keep trashing Rotorua's reputation.
Who of us are going to want to go on holiday to Rotorua? If we can afford to go to Hawke's Bay or New Plymouth or Queenstown, why would we go to Rotorua? Which means there will be no other business for those motels, really, other than to keep doing what they’re doing .
Eventually - if it hasn’t already happened - this will drive families out of town. Parents will take their kids and find jobs and schools in towns that are safer and have a future. They will sell their houses before the value falls too far. And the people who will be left behind will be those too cash strapped to leave, the emergency accommodation people, the moteliers and the security guards.
National and the Maori Party are right to call for an inquiry into what’s happened here. This is as Rawiri Waititi says "a train wreck". We will probably for decades talk about what the 6th Labour Government did to Rotorua.
But no inquiry will rescue Rotorua. The damage is done.
The one time jewel in our tourism crown seems destined to end up like Patea: a town that ran out of opportunities. Rotorua is just a bigger version.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.