Rotorua teens “feel so unsafe” at a CBD bus stop where they say fights happen often — even “daily”.
Local school principals are “deeply concerned” about recent after-school attacks on teens, with one now refusing to let her own children catch the bus.
It comes after a 13-year-old was left bloodied at an Arawa St bus stop after being punched by a stranger last Tuesday, and a 15-year-old collapsed after being beaten on Monday on Haupapa St.
Police have referred three young people to Youth Aid in relation to the attacks and say they are maintaining an increased presence in the area where they happened, near the Rotorua Library.
Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell says the council is “determined to turn this around” and says an inner city community safety hub will be established in about two months — but it would be unsustainable in the long run without more police.
This week the Rotorua Daily Post spoke to several teenagers, aged 14 to 16, using the Arawa St bus stop outside the library about safety in the area.
They said fights happened often, with one recalling a machete being pulled out.
A girl said fights “happen daily” — usually between 3.30pm and 4pm — despite there being “a lot of security”, and always left people hurt.
She said she had no option but to catch the bus after school.
Another said: “Last year when that boy pulled a machete out on everyone, I just ran. It was very scary.”
A girl rated the bus stop “a five out of 10 because there are a lot of fights”.
”I just feel so unsafe. I think this bus depot needs an upgrade.”
The group agreed they wanted the fighting to end.
When a police siren sounded mid-interview, one student said they heard that daily.
“When you hear that you know the kids are gonna run the other way.”
Rotorua Principals Association president and Lynmore Primary School principal Hinei Taute said the violence against children needing to use the bus was “horrific” and should not be happening.
She said principals were “deeply concerned” and calling for improvements to ensure children’s safety in the area.
She said the increased police presence announced this week was “the first step”, along with teaching children how to keep themselves safe.
Taute said her two school-aged children used to catch the bus in that area, but after last week’s attack, family or friends were picking them up instead.
“I have gone right out of my way to make sure that they’re not on the bus.
“That just puts more pressure on families, but at this point in time, we have to ... to keep our kids safe,” she said.
“It’s a sad state of affairs that we have to resort to that. We should be using public transport or being able to walk.”
Taute said the biggest safety messages were for students to be vigilant, stay with at least one other person, and leave an area if they felt uncomfortable.
Rotorua Intermediate principal Garry de Thierry said the violence around the library was “extremely regretful” for students and the city’s image.
“It reflects some of the aggression we see in society now.”
He said adult supervision was not guaranteed to stop the violence, but may deter it.
He said the area should be an asset to the community with a library and nice park.
“It’s only a minority of people spoiling it, making this really sad image of our city and quite a threatening place for our students.”
He said parents of students who caught the bus there, trusting they would be safe, were concerned. For some, it was the only option to get home.
Students were advised to stick together and look after one another, stay alert for unfolding situations or aggressive people, and leave or contact the school if needed.
He said those who instigated the violence needed support to change their mindset.
Rotorua Girls’ High School principal Sarah Davis said she was “really upset” by the assaults.
The community had challenges, but there was still “no excuse for violence”.
She believed the fights happening in public “where there’s an audience” could suggest the motivation behind the altercations.
Some young women did not have a “toolkit” to find an alternative to violence, but Davis said the vast majority in the city did not behave like that or condone it.
“It’s important that all the different agencies and schools get alongside those that see [this violence] as acceptable, and do what we can to support them.”
Tapsell said she supported the principals’ comments and had made an urgent call for increased police resourcing in Rotorua.
“Our community deserves to feel safe in our public spaces and facilities.”
The new safety hub in the inner city would “increase visibility and responsiveness” and ensure council security staff, police and other community services worked together. It would, however, be unsustainable in the long run without more police.
The council was also working with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, which manages buses, and she was reaching out to the Māori Wardens.
“We’re determined to turn this around and continue with the positive progress we have made over the past year.
“Rotorua is still an amazing place to live, work and visit and it is disappointing that a handful of people are making some really poor choices that are harmful to our reputation as a world-class destination.”
Regional council transport operations manager Stuart Nightingale said the safety of bus users was a priority and it was working to reduce disruptions and conflicts caused by a few people. This included work with schools and local officials.
He urged passengers to report unsafe or inappropriate behaviour to the bus driver, Baybus or police.
Rotorua Police prevention manager Inspector Phil Gillbanks said police were aware of “infrequent incidents” in the area around the bus stop.
“We are actively working with our community partners to ensure the area remains safe and any anti-social behaviour avoided.”
He encouraged people to report incidents and concerns — call 111 if it was happening now or 105 after the fact.
Cira Olivier is a social issues and breaking news reporter for NZME Bay of Plenty. She has been a journalist since 2019.
Michaela Pointon is an NZME reporter based in the Bay of Plenty and was formerly a feature writer.