Councillor criticises lack of consultation

Rotorua District Council

Rotorua ratepayers and councillors are questioning the need for the recent name change for the Rotorua Lakes - formerly District - Council.

Councillor Charles Sturt has called for public action to try and reverse the decision, while his colleague Glenys Searancke said she did not understand the need for the change in the first place.

Since councillors narrowly voted to go ahead with the change on Thursday, the Rotorua Daily Post has been inundated with letters to the editor, comments on its Facebook page and the paper's website.

Most of those comments questioned the amount of money being spent on the change, the necessity for the change, and the confusion it could cause.

Councillors voted 7-5 to change the council's operating name to the Rotorua Lakes Council as part of a "brand refresh" and to avoid confusion around the number of logos it was using for the organisation.

Legally, the council will continue to be known as the Rotorua District Council.

It was estimated it would cost $10,000 to implement the name change.

Mr Sturt, who the Rotorua Daily Post understands is out of the country, posted his comments on the newspaper's Facebook page on Saturday.

He questioned the decision being made without public consultation and the lack of thought that went into the process.

"We are world-renowned for geothermal, culture and [the] great outdoors.

"Lakes, yes we have them, but we aren't known as a lakes district. I think public action is the only way to stop the waste of ratepayer funds.

"I do care how much it costs, as debt reduction and prudence with ratepayer funds was the main theme in why we have a new mayor.

"I am a Rotorua district councillor not a Rotorua lakes councillor," he said.

Shirley Trumper, chairwoman of the Combined Ratepayers Association of Ngakuru, Waikite Valley and Atiamuri, said she wanted to remind Mayor Steve Chadwick that her election campaign motto was an open consultation process for council decisions.

"Not only is this a back-track on her promise for an inclusive consultative process, it shows her complete disregard for the rural and wider community as a whole.

"It's not even a real name change, it's an advertising gimmick," Mrs Trumper said.

She said the region's lakes were just one part of the district and did not attract many international visitors.

"They come here for the culture, the geothermal and the activities. We are not the lakes district in England," she said.

Mrs Searancke said the whole thing was "confusing and completely unnecessary".

"I have a lot of people asking me 'why'.

"I don't like the idea of being a lakes councillor, we represent everyone in the district. I still don't see the reason behind it all, there are a lot more pressing matters we could concentrate on," she said.

But Mrs Chadwick stands by the change saying she didn't expect everyone to like it.

She said a name change would not alter the way the council did its business, or make it any more efficient.

"It puts Rotorua on the map. When our international visitors ask 'what is the Rotorua district' they will see it has lakes, they are a major feature of our region.

"Another one of the reasons was to reduce the plethora of logos we have for the organisation.

"You'll never get it right for everyone, but that should not stop us from doing something different," she said.