Rotorua emergency housing motels: Tourism operators make submissions at hearing

People vomiting in the streets, "shooting up" in public toilets, rubbish, police cars, discarded needles and drug paraphernalia in carparks.

These are among the latest descriptions of life around emergency housing motels Rotorua residents and business owners have given an independent panel considering 13 motels' future.

Yesterday, FRI tourism operators and residents told a hearing the impact of emergency housing on the city's reputation had been "catastrophic" and its bounceback as a tourism hotspot was "languishing".

Their comments followed an independent report released this week finding the city had lost about $17 million in tourism spending in three months and wariness about visitors' safety had almost doubled since 2018.

The hearing before three commissioners began at the Arawa Park Motel on Monday.

The panel is considering whether to grant resource consent applications lodged by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development seeking to allow 13 motels contracted for emergency housing to continue lawfully under the District Plan.

More than 3600 submissions were received, with 80 per cent opposing the consents.

The ministry's representatives have told the panel homelessness could get worse in Rotorua if the consents are not granted, and that people could end up sleeping rough or in non-contracted motels also used by tourists.

Independent commissioners (left to right) Sheena Tepania , David Hill and Greg Hill. Photo / Mead Norton

Over the past three days, locals had their say, telling of businesses around Fenton St pushed to the brink, 'zombie movie'-like scenes in the CBD, locals shelling out for security or feeling forced to move, aggression, attacks and even pork bones left in the streets - all, they believe, the result of the emergency housing clients in motels.

Whakarewarewa Village Charitable Trust chairman James Warbrick. Photo / Andrew Warner

On Friday, Whakarewarewa Village Charitable Trust chairman James Warbrick told commissioners police cars, rubbish and overgrown lawns were not the "welcoming sight" he would like visitors to see before coming to the village.

Warbrick said he was "frustrated" by the complete lack of respect of some of the emergency housing motel residents.

"We have found the odd person sleeping in our bathhouse after not getting back to their unit before curfew."

Warbrick said some had also been found using the village baths without permission.

"The brazen sense of entitlement shown by some of these intruders has been absolutely shocking."

Warbrick said the village's carpark had also become a venue for "impromptu booze parties" where discarded needles and other drug paraphernalia had also been found.

"I've even walked in on people shooting up in the public toilets.

''And when they're chased out they just run down to their emergency housing motel around the corner.

"As villagers, we feel unsafe. We are unsure of who is walking around at night especially as there has been a rise in tagging and petty crime."

Representatives of the Rotorua Investment Tourism Partnership also made submissions at Friday's hearing. Photo / Supplied

Glenholme mum and local business owner Rachel McRae told commissioners she bought her home in 2019 believing it was a safe place to bring up her young family.

"I believe [emergency housing motels] are significantly harming the neighbourhood.

"Once I was checking the letterbox with my 3-year-old son and saw a couple that were so intoxicated they couldn't walk, spewing up and stumbling along in between falling over."

One resident submitted that speeding and theft had been up since the Midway Motel and Geneva Motor Lodge had become emergency hotels. Photo / Andrew Warner

McRae submitted that since the motels had been used for emergency housing she had witnessed theft, speeding cars and "people walking up and down the street off their face on drugs or alcohol".

"Feeling that your own family is not safe in their own home is not a nice way to feel."

McRae said she had decided to make a submission because of the ways emergency housing could impact future generations.

"It's not just the future generations of the people who live in Glenholme or the people who live in Rotorua.

"It's the future generations of the people who live in the motels. Motel rooms are not places for people to grow up. They deserve better than that."

McRae said five years was "too long with no solution".

"It's just an extension of the current problem. They can't keep living like this for another five years."

Representatives of the Rotorua Investment Tourism Partnership - which has 45 tourism business members - about 90 per cent of Rotorua's tourism industry - included the new independent report as part of their submissions to the hearing.

Velocity Valley managing director Debbie Guptill described the effects of emergency housing on Rotorua's reputation as "catastrophic".

"We're engaging with our customers every day across all our tourism operations. They're not staying here. They don't have the desire to do that."

Guptill said she had spoken to parents who felt it was unsafe to bring school groups to Rotorua.

Redwoods Treewalk and Nightlights co-founder and managing director Bruce Thomasen said the rest of New Zealand's tourism industry had bounced back while Rotorua was "languishing".

"It's something we need to address," Thomasen told the commissioners.

"We understand there's a need for these people to have a roof over their heads.

"Our loss of income is not because of the number of rooms available. It's a reputation issue."

The hearing before commissioners David Hill, Sheena Tepania and Greg Hill will reconvene on October 31.