"Nothing town" comments by Rotorua Property Investors Association president Debbie Van den Broek, referring to Dannevirke, have raised the ire of residents and those promoting the town.
"To dismiss our town as nothing is shocking," Sue Berry, chairman of the Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce, said. "It's a dreadful thing to say."
Talking about Rotorua's rising house prices, Van den Broek was reported as saying: "There was a while when we were on par with places like Dannevirke and Levin and they're nothing towns - we have much more to offer."
Ms Berry said contrary to what Van den Broek said, the evidence is that more and more people were moving to Dannevirke.
"This isn't a competition to see which town is best and as an ex-Wellingtonian, I can see the benefits of our rural lifestyle and the real community feel we have here. We are not a nothing town - far from it. It's up to the people who live here to do the best for our town and there was plenty of evidence of that on Dannevirke's High St for market day."