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

Editorial: A true picture of the community

Laurilee McMichael
By Laurilee McMichael
Editor·Taupo & Turangi Weekender·
21 Feb, 2019 11:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Tongariro River and Turangi.

The Tongariro River and Turangi.

Many aspects of the recent public meeting in Tūrangi stood out, but if there was one thing overall that struck me as I walked in, it was this: community. This truly was a meeting of the Tūrangi community, and all the community. There were young and old, Māori and Pakeha, rangatahi and retired people, all in that one room for one reason: because they care.

That's one of the often overlooked strengths of a small town. It is small enough for people to know each other, to know their town and to unite for a common cause.

Compare that to open meetings in Taupo on issues of public importance and the demographic is overwhelmingly skewed towards older people, who also tend to dominate debate on community issues.

Read more: Tūrangi locals want action on rundown town

You could argue that council meetings are mostly held during the daytime which makes it hard for working people to attend, and that's certainly true. But a public meeting last October on the proposed cultural precinct project in the Great Lake Centre, although it drew a crowd of several hundred, again featured an audience of the mostly grey haired. Younger people are just not getting involved.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Compare that to the meeting in Tūrangi, which had all ages and included an opportunity for young people from the Tūrangi Rangatahi Hub to have a say. As well, there were business people, iwi leaders, parents and grandparents, workers and volunteers, all present and all taking an interest.

Tūrangi's town centre. Photo / File
Tūrangi's town centre. Photo / File

Although some of the councillors looked understandably a little nervous at the start, and although people in the audience were clearly more than ready to hear some explanations, the mood never got ugly. The people of Tūrangi were courteous and let the councillors and the council staff have their say, while making it very clear that they wanted change.

They do have a point. Zane Cozens of the Tūrangi Action Group told the meeting that in submissions to the Long Term Plan last year, 97 were from Tūrangi and none were taken on board.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A look through the final adopted plan shows that although there are many district-wide projects which apply to Tūrangi as well as to Taupo, Kinloch and Mangakino, there are few targeted at Tūrangi. It lends weight to the argument that the southern end of the lake is being overlooked.

Councillors listened, and many said they were pleased that people were taking an opportunity to raise local issues, and disappointed that they felt Tūrangi was not getting a fair go.

At the end of the meeting, although they have to go through a formal council approval, two things were agreed: that the council would open the books to a forensic accountant who would look at how much money was being raised in Tūrangi-Tongariro and where it was being spent, and to consider an amendment to the Long Term Plan to include more Tūrangi projects. They have been given three months. They will be on notice to deliver.

Discover more

Ride for Talei continues Smear Your Mea legacy

14 Feb 06:30 PM

Two-car crash on State Highway 1 near Turangi

19 Feb 06:01 PM
New Zealand

The rundown town demanding a better deal

21 Feb 11:00 PM

Why playing bridge is good for you

07 Mar 01:10 AM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily PostUpdated

'Give Paea a chance': Wife's tearful plea for Tongan overstayer

10 Jul 06:23 PM
live
Rotorua Daily Post

Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge

10 Jul 06:22 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

SPCA alarmed about rise in staff abuse, threats to kill pets

10 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

'Give Paea a chance': Wife's tearful plea for Tongan overstayer

'Give Paea a chance': Wife's tearful plea for Tongan overstayer

10 Jul 06:23 PM

Judge urges Paea Vehikite's family to continue their fight to keep him in NZ.

Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge
live

Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge

10 Jul 06:22 PM
SPCA alarmed about rise in staff abuse, threats to kill pets

SPCA alarmed about rise in staff abuse, threats to kill pets

10 Jul 05:00 PM
'Stop this madness': Police promise crackdown on illegal dirt bikers

'Stop this madness': Police promise crackdown on illegal dirt bikers

10 Jul 03:52 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

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