Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Four Rotorua accommodation providers investigated, including Spa Lodge

Laura Smith
Laura Smith
Local Democracy Reporter·Rotorua Daily Post·
7 Dec, 2023 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Rotorua's Spa Lodge on Amohau St is one of four accommodation providers being investigated by the Government. Photo / Ben Fraser

Rotorua's Spa Lodge on Amohau St is one of four accommodation providers being investigated by the Government. Photo / Ben Fraser

The government is investigating whether four accommodation providers in Rotorua are complying with tenancy laws - including Spa Lodge.

Twenty tenants of the Amohau St business were forced to move out last month after Spa Lodge was issued two dangerous building notices within a week.

href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/ministry-of-business-innovation-and-employment/2/">Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment tenancy compliance and investigations team national manager Brett Wilson said its Spa Lodge investigation was prompted by concerns from a third party.

He said it would assess whether the business’ building and management complied with the Residential Tenancies Act.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Team members visited the lodge alongside Rotorua Lakes Council on November 16.

The council previously said it issued the lodge the first dangerous building notice that day for dead-bolting residents in at night, and the second followed a deck fire a fire safety investigation found had burned for hours before emergency services were called.

Tenancy compliance and investigations national manager Brett Wilson said he could not comment on the ongoing investigation as this could compromise its integrity or impact potential enforcement outcomes.

No completion date was indicated.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Asked if it was investigating any other Rotorua backpackers, hostels or motels offering longer-term tenancies, Wilson said eight other premises were visited in the last year.

In addition to Spa Lodge, three prompted investigations for potential non-compliance.

The ministry would not provide details of those investigations, including the premises names and concerns raised. Local Democracy Reporting’s request for this information would be processed under the Official Information Act.

Generally speaking, concerns the team could investigate ranged from non-lodgement of bonds to serious maintenance issues.

Discover more

New Zealand

'We will not be silenced': Hīkoi leader promises more protests

05 Dec 04:00 PM
New Zealand

Holes in the walls, a bin blaze burning for hours and children: Inside Spa Lodge

29 Nov 04:00 PM
New Zealand

'High fire risk': 20 people moved out of lodge that 'dead-bolted' them in at night

28 Nov 04:00 PM
New Zealand

NZ tourism hotspot makes world's top 10 trending travel destinations

23 Nov 04:45 AM

Enforcement actions could include applications to the Tenancy Tribunal but Wilson said the team would work with landlords wherever possible to ensure accommodation was warm, dry and safe.

Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell on tenancy investigations

Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell said she appreciated government agencies working with the council to address issues around tenancies set up in backpackers and hostels.

“The health and safety of people is always the priority.

“When investigations have found issues at premises providing accommodation, our teams work with owners of these to ensure the facilities are improved to meet appropriate compliance and safety standards.”

Tapsell told Local Democracy Reporting about a month ago the council believed 14 accommodation providers were providing longer-term tenancies.

Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell speaks about the investigations. Photo / Andrew Warner
Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell speaks about the investigations. Photo / Andrew Warner

“There are now around 11 premises that council’s regulatory team is working with that could have inappropriate tenancies.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She said it was good to see a reduction as some returned to tourism.

“Council staff are strongly encouraging owners to choose between operating as a backpackers, or as a boarding house, and to deliver whichever service they choose to a very high standard.”

“We cannot allow premises to be unsafe and I’m unapologetic about putting pressure on owners to bring their facilities up to appropriate standards.”

Rotorua Lakes Council community district development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston said the council could not release details of the investigations yet.

He said the council’s role was restricted to investigating and resolving District Plan and Building Code compliance matters.

“[The] council itself has no jurisdiction under the Residential Tenancies Act, this is handled solely by the [ministry team].”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Asked if the council was looking into fire safety at other accommodation providers offering longer-term tenancies, he said all providers must ensure they meet relevant fire safety requirements.

“[The] council will continue to inspect all relevant accommodation providers in a phased and risk-based manner.”

Spa Lodge has been contacted for comment.

Note: A previous version of this story said there were five investigations. MBIE has advised it was unclear in its response and advised there are four investigations in total.

Laura Smith is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. She previously reported general news for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express, and has been a journalist for four years.

- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.


Save
    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Man with 5000 child abuse images avoids prison term

19 Sep 02:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Radio host signs off after decades on air

19 Sep 12:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Election U-turn: Barrett returns to mayoral race, apologises to supporters

18 Sep 06:00 PM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Man with 5000 child abuse images avoids prison term
Rotorua Daily Post

Man with 5000 child abuse images avoids prison term

He denied the offending, then admitted it, then tried to deny it again.

19 Sep 02:00 AM
Radio host signs off after decades on air
Rotorua Daily Post

Radio host signs off after decades on air

19 Sep 12:00 AM
Election U-turn: Barrett returns to mayoral race, apologises to supporters
Rotorua Daily Post

Election U-turn: Barrett returns to mayoral race, apologises to supporters

18 Sep 06:00 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP