The Rotorua Daily Post is looking back at the stories of 2023. Here’s what made headlines in March
March 1
Picking the right tenants would be key if new high-density central Rotorua apartments were to succeed, locals said.
Kāinga Ora revealed plans to put two three-storey apartment blocks on the corner of Malfroy Rd and Ranolf St, creating 24 one and two-bedroom apartments for those in need.
People got to look through the plans and walk through the housing development at a drop-in session at the site.
Eight of the apartments would be accessible to people with greater mobility needs. There would be lifts and stairs for each building and all apartments would have a deck area, double glazing, heating, curtains and carpets.
March 7
Weather experts confirmed just how terrible last summer was.
Rotorua experienced more than 750mm of rain and near-record wind gusts of 95km/h.
According to Niwa’s climate summary report for the season, Rotorua received 242 per cent of its usual seasonal rainfall between December and February.
In total, 752mm of rain hit the city, the third-highest summer rainfall since records began in 1963.
The near-record rainfall was accompanied by high-speed wind gusts which peaked at 95km/h on February 13.
This marked the fourth-highest wind speed to blow through Rotorua since the records began in 1972.
March 10
Kiwifruit growers were “under the pump” and “hurting financially” and the hunt was on to find thousands of seasonal workers for this year’s harvest.
But unlike recent years, industry experts were not predicting a significant labour shortage due to a combination of projected lower harvest volumes, automation, more international worker availability and Kiwi staff returning.
It came as New Zealand kiwifruit export marketer Zespri forecasted a slump of up to $144 million in its corporate net profit for the 2023 financial year compared with the previous year.
In 2022, the industry was hammered by fruit quality issues and last year some kiwifruit orchards in every growing region had been impacted by adverse weather events.
March 12
A free outdoor concert held over the weekend showcasing Te Arawa’s successful Te Matatini kapa haka groups “exceeded all expectation” with thousands turning out in support of the performers.
The event, called Waipuketia Ki Te Aroha – Flood Them With Love, took place on Rotorua lakefront and collected money for the flood victims of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Performers used the same stage set for the Lakeside 25 concert. Explosions of cheers and claps could be heard from the audience after all six performances.
Te Arawa Kapa Haka Trust chairman Trevor Maxwell said he was “absolutely thrilled” with the day’s events.
March 16
Teachers were undervalued, not respected and better conditions and pay were needed to keep them in the profession.
Those were the views of some of the people striking in Rotorua as tens of thousands of educators walked off the job nationwide to call for better pay, higher staffing numbers and more school funding.
Striking teachers and their supporters marched through the CBD after earlier picketing at locations around Rotorua.
March 18
A family of four who lived in a single bedroom for almost three years said they could finally breathe again after being handed the keys to a new home.
After becoming caught in Rotorua’s housing crisis, Tuterangiwhiu and Carmen Grant-Cairns were grateful for a friend’s offer of a bedroom, which the couple shared with their two young daughters for all of that time.
The family were given the keys to a newly built three-bedroom home at Sanctuary Point, Tauranga, as part of Habitat for Humanity’s rent-to-buy Progressive Home Ownership system.
Through tears, Carmen explained the sensation of having the weight of uncertainty finally lifted from her shoulders.
March 21
The rising cost of living had forced one Rotorua mother to “completely change” the way she shops.
Three years earlier, thrifty shopper Sarah Blakey-Reichardt shared her tips with the Rotorua Daily Post on ways to cut a weekly grocery bill. Back then she was spending between $200 and $220 a week for herself, her daughter and her partner.
Now, she was spending between $250 and $270 because of rising food costs.
In a bid to guide and inform New Zealanders through these tough times, the Herald Price Tracker was launched online. The digital tracker looks at the price variations of different items and the average living costs of different households in New Zealand.
March 27
Meth-addicted family members using elderly relatives like an “ATM” to fund their drug habit.
Desperate seniors arriving at social agencies straight from the hospital wearing a “dressing gown”' and with no money.
Elderly relatives guaranteeing their children or mokopuna’s loans and then having to take on the debt – or sell their home – when repayments aren’t made.
Bay of Plenty social agencies said these were just some examples of the financial abuse elders were enduring.
March 31
A petrol station manager beaten in a robbery said locals would no longer staff the 36-year-old fuel stop due to rising violence.
Gull Edmund Rd manager David Davies said from the following day, the store would close and the forecourt would be run by Gull as an unmanned, self-service station, bringing to an end 36 years of local operations.
He said robberies, about eight in 10 years, were the reason for the change.
Gull New Zealand said it was not involved in the decision for the site to become unmanned, but said crime was not the reason.
The team comprises five constables and one sergeant, patrolling on foot.