Rotorua reaching out to cyclone-hit households

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Cyclone-hit households in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti will be getting the break many are in need of thanks to the collective generosity of the Rotorua community.

A total of 100 getaway packages are being distributed by Manaaki Rotorua | Be Our Guest, a volunteer group formed in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The getaway packages with a total value over $100,000 include two nights accommodation, three to four tourist activities and vouchers for cafes and restaurants. They are made up from donations from more than 75 Rotorua businesses, property owners and individuals.

Manaaki Rotorua project lead Melanie Short said the Rotorua community considered its own strengths when it came to deciding how to support New Zealanders affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

“Manaakitanga, or hospitality, is what Rotorua does best.  Visitors have been coming to our beautiful region for over a century to heal and restore their mana so the idea of gifting getaways came naturally to us.”

So far, 75 getaway packages have been distributed either through public nomination, or through a range of community groups including iwi, with the first visitors expected in September.

“The response we get when we let recipients know someone in their community has nominated them for a gifted getaway is as humbling as it is heartbreaking.  There’s no doubt that a chance to have a break in Rotorua is coming just at the right time for some,” Mrs Short said.

Rotorua NZ chief executive Andrew Wilson said he was proud of how community minded Rotorua’s operators are.

“We know that when all these households come to Rotorua, our operators will show them a good time, demonstrating our unique manaakitanga and making sure that we send them home with wonderful memories of Rotorua.”

For the remaining 25 packages, Manaaki Rotorua | Be Our Guest is asking the public to nominate people they know of who have been severely affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Nominations can be made via their website www.manaakirotorua.co.nz before Sunday, September 3.  All nominations received will go into a ballot, and will be subject to some simple vetting criteria.