Fighting for Rotorua: More than 400 pack bowling club for public meeting with Kāinga Ora

“The Glenholme community is exhausted ... go back to your government departments and ministers and tell them we don’t want you here.”

That’s the message from a Glenholme resident who was backed by more than 400 locals in her calls to Kāinga Ora to leave the suburb alone and not allow more social housing in the area.

The residents packed the Arawa Bowling Club on Lytton St tonight for a public meeting organised by Save Glenholme Group called by locals to express concerns to Kāinga Ora Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy about a planned housing development on a vacant section of land at 54 Devon St.

The other topic discussed was the Rotorua Lakes Council’s Plan Change 9 proposal - a move to allow building intensification that could see buildings up to six storeys high.

Resident Carolyne Hall received huge applause when she said Glenholme had suffered a triple whammy and residents were tired of fighting the effects of emergency housing, Devon St plans and now Plan Change 9.

Tonight was the first time Kāinga Ora officials had come face-to-face with locals and even Toy commented it was “brave” of him to attend the meeting.

He started by saying he would take everyone’s concerns on board.

Kāinga Ora Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy. Photo / Andrew Warner

“I have a blank page and open ears and thank you for engaging.”

Toy said he didn’t yet know what the plans were for 54 Devon St as the design team would present the options in about a week.

Kāinga Ora’s letter drop earlier in the year initially said six two-storey homes were being considered - four two-bedroom terrace homes and two three-bedroom duplexes. Toy then said last week at least three homes were being considered. Tonight he put to bed any possibility they could be three storeys high, saying that could not fit on the site.

When asked if Kāinga Ora had got a geotechnical report, given the land’s close promiximity to previous bores and other possible land stability issues, Toy said no.

One woman questioned how they could come up with a proposal next week when such a report on the land hadn’t been done.

“You might find you are limited to one house. Surely when you are buying land you do your homework first.”

Toy tried to reassure residents that interviews were held to find good tenants and a “vast majority” of those in Kāinga Ora homes were good people.

Rotorua MP Todd McClay speaks at the meeting. Photo / Andrew Warner

But Rotorua MP Todd McClay, who helped chair the meeting with former Rotorua Lakes councillor Raj Kumar, said with all due respect to Toy, it only took a Google search to realise Kāinga Ora was not a good landlord based on horror stories from around the country.

A resident spoke about how she was aged 52 and had “worked her butt off” to afford to buy a house in Glenholme.

“I’ve heard people say ‘they deserve to live here too’. No one deserves anything. We earn what we have.”

She said Rotorua’s supposed population growth that caused the homeless crisis was a “myth”.

“It has been from people being given MSD vouchers. You live here for 30 days and you are accounted as someone who is from here. My advice is give the vouchers back and go home.”

A local woman asked how people were going to cope going from a motel to a Kāinga Ora home.

Officials at the public meeting (from left) Wera Aotearoa Charitable Trust housing manager Toli Maka, Pita Christiansen from MSD and Kāinga Ora regional director Darren Toy. Photo / Andrew Warner

Toy asked Wera Aotearoa Charitable Trust housing operations manager Toli Maka to answer. Maka spoke about her trust’s work with wraparound services and how it involved a “holistic approach”.

“Ultimately we aim to help them thrive ... Our relationship with Kāinga Ora is when they are considered rent-ready we work with them to continue the support needs.”

Her words were met with mutterings from the crowd.

Two people spoke about the Malfroy Rd and Ranolf St Kāinga Ora development and how, in their opinion, it already looked bad with homes close to the road and no parking available, resulting in cars - which they said were unregistered and rough looking - being parked on the berms. One of them said Kāinga Ora set up the families for failure because residents ended up not liking them.

Another man said he was concerned about the high-rise buildings looking like “super slums” and asked, “what are we going to do when the tenants start acting up?”. To that comment, someone yelled out from the floor: “Oh, they will get the wraparound help in.”

There was concern expressed that council officials, mayor Tania Tapsell and deputy mayor Sandra Kai Fong weren’t at the meeting. Three newly-elected councillors were present - Conan O’Brien, Robert Lee and Don Paterson.

A man said Tapsell’s “signature” as mayor “was not even dry” and already she was putting in apologies for not being at important meetings.

The meeting heard from a different perspective when Arahia Hunter spoke. She said she was a working woman and had been living in emergency housing for more than a year.

“I want to say thank you for giving me a house.”

Glenholme residents pack the Arawa Bowling Club for a public meeting. Photo / Andrew Warner

She said the problem wasn’t housing because it was deeper issues that saw people suffering, including an education system that was failing Māori boys.

She said she had Mongrel Mob members staying in rooms around her and they went out to commit crimes because they were hungry - a statement that caused those at the meeting to erupt in disapproving mumbles.

A woman asked Toy whether hapū had been consulted about their plans in Glenholme, saying it should have happened as a Treaty partner.

“You’re supposed to call us to the table and not one of you have and that makes this plan null and void.”

Toy conceded hapū had not been consulted but said discussions with wider Te Arawa members had been held. The woman put her business card on a table for Toy to collect.

McClay ended the meeting by reminding those there to write submissions, whether they were for or against, on Plan Change 9 saying it was a “win” that the deadline had now been extended until December 9.

He said anyone wanting details on how to make a submission should contact the Rotorua Lakes Council, his office of email Save Glenholme Group, save_glenholme@xtra.co.nz.