Rotorua mayoral candidate Fletcher Tabuteau launches petition to change Fenton St 'ghetto'

Fletcher Tabuteau started the petition. Photo / Andrew Warner

Mayoral candidate Fletcher Tabuteau has launched a petition to Parliament demanding action to fix Rotorua's Fenton St "ghetto".

The petition calls on the House of Representatives to direct the Government to stop motels being used as emergency housing to host non-Rotorua residents, as well as for it to invest in more police for the city and find "real alternatives" for emergency housing.

The petition also calls for the local council to enforce "the original intent of the district plan, which does not allow Fenton St to be used as long-term accommodation" and to take action on crime prevention and enabling long-term housing development.

Tabuteau told the Rotorua Daily Post emergency housing was one of the biggest issues impacting Rotorua residents.

He said the use of motels for the homeless was needed when the March 2020 Covid-19 lockdown started but, in his view, since then Rotorua Lakes Council had "dropped the ball" and the Government was taking "advantage of our city".

Fletcher Tabuteau started the petition. Photo / Andrew Warner

"Both the people who are living in these substandard conditions and the people surrounding them are suffering. The people of Rotorua see Fenton St for what it is - harmful for all, and it needs to end.

"Rotorua will look after its own. But we are not willing to accept the Fenton St ghetto as the solution," Tabuteau said.

He said the decision to house homeless people in motels during the first lockdown was a hard one, but the right one.

"It was the right one to make. Not only was it compassionate but it meant people who would otherwise be highly probable vectors for Covid were provided an environment that improved their safety and the safety of others."

Some 1121 people went through emergency housing in Rotorua in 2021. Last month it was revealed in a Ministry of Social Development report that just under a third of those were not from Rotorua.

The same report found Rotorua made up 1.5 per cent of the country's population yet it housed nine per cent of the country's emergency housing clients.

Tabuteau said the Government was in denial.

"Our voice needs to be heard loudly and proudly. My petition is a critical step in ensuring that the Government listens to Rotorua and helps support good solutions for all - and does so quickly."

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick. Photo / Andrew Warner

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said in a statement via the council's communications team that she understood the community's frustration.

"We all agree that the current situation is untenable and needs to end as quickly as possible and we're all impatient to see that happen."

In response to Tabuteau's claim that the council had "dropped the ball", Chadwick said the council was working on multiple fronts to address Rotorua's critical housing shortage, which included a dire shortage of social housing.

"The Government is very aware of the challenges we face and the concerns of our community and there has been no let-up in council's efforts to get solutions in place as quickly as is possible."

She said the council's demands for an "all-of-government" response to the housing situation had so far resulted in the establishment of the emergency housing taskforce and an emergency housing hub, commitment to increasing social housing, significant government funding for critical infrastructure to support housing development and Rotorua's inclusion in the national Medium Density Residential Housing Standards.

"Housing and community safety are key priorities for council and we're continuing to work hard on these."

Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Minister of Social Development Carmel Sepuloni told the Rotorua Daily Post in written responses to questions that the Government was not taking advantage of Rotorua.

"The Government is responding to a housing crisis by supporting New Zealanders who need help to put a roof over their heads. We do not want anyone to be living in motels, but the reality is successive governments underinvested in housing for so long that we are at a crisis point."

She said the "lack of foresight" was particularly evident in Rotorua, and while there were a number of housing projects underway it would take some time to build the number of houses needed.

She said most clients used emergency housing for a short time, less than six months, but in Rotorua the average length of stay was longer, she said.

"The Government is listening. We are reviewing emergency housing and everything the community tells us during this process will be considered."

Asked if the Government was in denial about the problems Fenton St was causing locals, Sepuloni said a majority of people who were in emergency housing were good people in a vulnerable position and needed temporary support to put a roof over their heads.

"However, homelessness also affects some people with complex needs and issues. Everyone in emergency housing, including those with complex issues, has support available to them to get them the help they need.

"In Rotorua additional support has been trialled, and the lessons learned from this trial are being used to inform our review of emergency housing."

Resident lobby group Restore Rotorua, which was set up as a voice to ensure locals had a say over the future of emergency housing, encouraged locals to sign Tabuteau's petition.

Chairman Trevor Newbrook said there seemed to be no plan to reduce the number of people in emergency housing, only plans to make it more permanent.

"I agree it is becoming a ghetto and something needs to be done."

The petition is asking for change on Fenton St. Photo / Andrew Warner