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Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Concerns Rotorua not ready for Auckland influx

Matthew Martin
By Matthew Martin
Senior reporter, Rotorua Daily Post·Rotorua Daily Post·
20 Oct, 2016 06:30 PM4 mins to read

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Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick at the launch of the Love Life. Live Rotorua campaign on Wednesday.

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick at the launch of the Love Life. Live Rotorua campaign on Wednesday.

Rotorua may not be ready for an influx of Aucklanders looking for homes and jobs in the district, according to some in the city.

However the mayor has responded to concerns over a new council campaign, saying there will not be "hordes of people" moving to Rotorua tomorrow.

On Wednesday, the Rotorua Lakes Council's marketing arm Destination Rotorua launched a major campaign to convince Aucklanders to abandon the rat race and move to Rotorua.

The Love Life. Live Rotorua campaign has a $200,000 budget for its first year and is targeting Auckland people and families of "mid-high socioeconomic status", and "working professionals" to relocate to Rotorua.

The campaign has sparked a backlash on social media with many asking for more jobs for locals first and expressing fears more Aucklanders living in Rotorua would drive up house prices.

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But Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said there was a significant amount of land earmarked for residential development with the potential for 1000 new house lots and that key sectors such as forestry, wood processing and tourism were in a healthy state.

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Darrin Walsh said the campaign was "great and the chamber is very much in favour of it".

"My concerns are solely around making sure we have the infrastructure in place so that when we say 'come here to live and work' we have the jobs, and more importantly, we have the property available for these families to buy or build.

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Read more:
• Love life? Destination Rotorua offers an escape from the rat race
• Street View: Do you like the council's plan to lure Aucklanders to Rotorua to live and work?

"As our city grows so too does the demand on infrastructure like roads.

"Local businesses are growing and employing - we are attracting national businesses here, but we need to ensure we meet demand," Mr Walsh said.

Principal real estate agent at Harcourts Rotorua Hielke Oppers said Rotorua needed to grow and part of that growth would be encouraging people to come here to live.

He said the thought behind the campaign was a good one.

"But, the question is, what will it do for Rotorua in terms of infrastructure, jobs and housing?

"There is definitely a shortage of properties at the moment and this would add to that.

"There are not enough houses for people in Rotorua to buy and rent, and it's already causing people to live in cars."

Talent ID director Kellie Hamlett said she thought the concept, branding and roll-out was fantastic.

"It's great to see Rotorua is being marketed as more than simply a destination for tourists and that the opportunities here from an employment and lifestyle aspect are being celebrated.

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"Here in Rotorua the growth in vacancies being listed and filled has been consistently increasing over the past two years and a growing number of the inquiries and applications for our roles are being received from Auckland candidates wanting to relocate - mostly due to house prices and lifestyle opportunities available here.

"Realistically, to cope with a growing population we are going to need to see more industry here in Rotorua. New businesses will aid in employment growth," she said.

Mrs Chadwick said the campaign was not about "hordes of people coming to live and work in Rotorua tomorrow".

"It's about people who are considering moving themselves and/or their business out of Auckland seeing Rotorua as a viable option, and those are not overnight decisions.

"Growth is part of the solution to housing and employment issues we face and now, when we're getting a bit of growth and our economy is doing well, is the time to build on that momentum.

"Increased population benefits everyone, resulting in more spending which increases business confidence which, in turn, encourages expansion, new business, new developments and more jobs," she said.

"The now operative District Plan and decisions like dropping the eastern arterial have created certainty for landowners and developers and there's a significant amount of residential zoned land with potential for more than 1000 lots, depending on landowner and developer decisions.

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"The market is responding to Rotorua's positive economy and based on the level of interest, more applications are expected."

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