This week's The Daily Post Newsmaker is McLeod's Booksellers manager Fraser Newman. During the week Mr Newman told us he was dissapointed the Rotorua District Council did not go ahead with a proposed free-parking plan, so we asked him why.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I spent a number of years living in China. First I studied at university there for a year and then after graduation I managed a private English training school in Chengdu. Before this I studied at the University of Waikato. I did a
BA(Hons) in Political Science and a Graduate Diploma in International Management.
What does your work at McLeod's entail? Why did you take the job?
Working at McLeod's offered me a unique opportunity to manage one of Rotorua's oldest and most established businesses. I order the stock, do the accounts, plan all the advertising and design strategy. It keeps me busy but there is a great team there with lots of experience. Independent bookshops are a great place to work.
What did you think about the council's decision to drop the free parking trial?
It was a real disappointment. The original plan was flawed but there was opportunity for compromise and development of the idea.
Are parking issues hurting Rotorua retailers? Why?
Yes. These days people go to the mall or as far afield as Tauranga and Whakatane to shop and paid parking can make the difference. The CBD is no longer an isolated shopping space. People take paid parking personally and just don't relax when they know the clock is ticking. It would be great if some of the unused buildings were
bulldozed to make more green space and parking similar to that at the mall. With that said there is merit to some paid parking on the busiest streets. Pukuatua St, for example, is often full already.