Rotorua emergency housing: Commissioner to consider hearing evidence

The Apollo Hotel is one of the complexes.

The decision on whether seven emergency housing motels will operate in Rotorua past December is weeks away.

Independent commissioner David Hill spent the last three days in Rotorua hearing whether the Government should be able to extend emergency housing motel consents by a year.

The motels are Ascot on Fenton, Apollo Hotel, Alpha Motel, Pohutu Motor Lodge, Lake Rotorua Motel, Roto Vegas Motel and Geneva Motor Lodge.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development applied in June to extend seven consents, and the commissioner expected the hearing to be closed by November 25 once he received all updated information.

He aimed to have a decision before the current consents expired on December 15.

The original consents were granted in 2022 for 13 motels.

Hill heard over the three days how the ministry believed the consents should be granted, how Rotorua Lakes Council agreed with strict conditions, and how most submitters wanted either all or specific consents to be denied.

Key themes revolved around how motel residents impacted neighbouring residents, iwi and businesses and how the ministry planned to stop using the motels.

The ministry was confident it could close the motels by the end of next year partly helped by the pipeline of Kāinga Ora housing. Others were less confident and there was a desire for specific timelines and closures - something the ministry opposed.

In the council’s right of reply, consultant planner Craig Batchelar said it still believed there was a need for contracted emergency housing for another year with no suitable alternatives readily available now.

Its overall opinion had not changed.

Batchelar noted the different views.

Independent commissioner David Hill at the hearing on Tuesday. Photo / Laura Smith

“The degree of concern expressed by submitters opposing the applications is acknowledged against a backdrop of poorly executed delivery of emergency housing policy for Rotorua motels and consequences that have followed for many in the community over a number of years and transitioning out.”

He said the Resource Management Act was inefficient at addressing complex social issues.

The council’s view was, given the evidence from those in the Whakarewarewa area, that the three nearby motels impacting the small community should be exited first.

Potential impacts were recognised in 2022 but they were meant to be mitigated through motel conditions. Batchelar said these were not as effective as expected.

These three motels were not taking new residents and would potentially close in mid-2025. The council preferred the Apollo Hotel’s consent not to be approved.

Residents with special needs grants using non-consented motels would not be permitted under the district plan. There are currently two such motels.

“I’ve confirmed with [the] council that a hard line has been drawn on this and that all hotel operators are on notice that regulatory requirements under the RMA and the Building Act must be admitted in all cases into the future.”

The council would provide specific recommendations for conditions.

A condition that surrounding residents be able to meet in person with emergency housing motel providers to discuss the level of engagement they wanted was suggested.

The ministry put forward a possible condition that it provide a quarterly report on its consents and exit strategy to the community liaison group. The group’s members include ministry, motel, council, iwi and community representatives.

Ministry legal counsel Nick Whittington said the organisation was aware of the effects on the community and acknowledged the stress that came with process participation.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Development legal counsel Nick Whittington. Photo / Laura Smith

He opposed the view lobby group Restore Rotorua legal counsel Mai Chen expressed that the ministry approach was to shame members of the public against the consents.

In his view: “That is absolutely not the case.”

Whittington said the commissioner was given different information and perspectives, and the ministry did not believe experts were the only voices worth listening to.

He said it still believed flexibility was needed in its exit strategy, and did not support hard deadlines given unknown factors that could influence housing needs.

Certain conditions suggested, such as age-appropriate placement in motels, could result in placement difficulties as the ministry stopped using other motels.

Whittington responded to submitter evidence of seeing rough sleeper by calling it evidence of unmet housing demand.

All but one of the 37 submitters oppose the applications.

Contracted emergency housing prioritises families/whānau with children, young people, and people with disabilities. It also can include kuia, kaumātua, and elderly individuals. It includes wrap-around support.

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 since 2019.

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.