Mr Flavell said for as long as he could remember there had never been a Treaty celebration in Rotorua on Waitangi Day.
"There used to be an open day at Whakarewarewa but that wasn't necessarily about the Treaty.
"There's funding to support celebrations so I'm really hoping Rotorua will take advantage of that next year, just like our neighbours in Te Puke, Tauranga, Taupo and Tokoroa have."
Mr Maxwell agreed there should be some sort of celebration - and said he liked the idea of moving the main national celebration away from Waitangi some years.
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"I acknowledge that was the first place it was signed, but it could be moved around the country.
"I think it should move around, people bid for it perhaps. Make it a whole community thing as well as strong input from Maori, but celebrate all the other ethnicities."
"We have the facilities here in Rotorua, we can host it all right. It is a good time of year."
Rotorua MP Todd McClay said he supported the idea of bringing dignitaries to Rotorua to mark Waitangi Day.
He said a Waitangi celebration in Rotorua was something he would support if the community was keen.
"I think we [Rotorua] would put on a celebration to be proud of."
Mr McClay said while he liked the idea and believed Rotorua should be high on the list of places to move a celebration to, it was ultimately the decision of the Prime Minister.
Mayor Steve Chadwick said a Rotorua-based celebration was something the community needed to look at - but said she also supported the idea of hosting dignitaries if Waitangi celebrations were to be moved around the country.
"It needs to be the whole of the community."
Mrs Chadwick said she would like to see some discussions around the idea of celebrations taking place locally.
Te Arawa kaumatua Sir Toby Curtis said while some sort of celebration locally would be good, one thing people needed to remember was that Te Arawa weren't among the first signatories.
He said what the Treaty meant varied from one group of people to the next.
"For us in Te Arawa we are grateful we have such a thing as Waitangi and what it stands for."
He said because of that, they had seen places like the lakes rightfully returned.
"It's not just an event to celebrate on the 6th [of February], we are living the Treaty every day.
"It's not just a day to celebrate but a day to take stock and look at the future."
Sir Toby said he was heartened when he returned from the Iwi Leaders Forum at Waitangi to see the queues of cars of people travelling up ahead of the weekend.
"That is a positive sight. People are seeing Waitangi as more than a holiday."