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Rotorua Mayor Kevin Winters said the Nia Glassie case has "haunted" his community since August last year.
"I'm pleased that a verdict has been reached and I'm also pleased that the community has rallied around since the death of baby Nia," Mr Winters said.
He said he did not want to talk about the verdicts, except to say that "justice had been served".
Mr Winters said since Nia's death, agencies had come together in a number of hui involving Government and non-Government agencies.
"Nia's death, although tragic, although absolutely tragic, has focused my community on a positive long-term outlook, so this tragic case of child abuse never happens again," Mr Winters said.
He said alarm bells went off while Nia was still alive but for one reason and another "collectively all the dots didn't join up".
He said child abuse was not just a Rotorua problem but a country-wide problem and there are lessons for New Zealand.
"My community has taken those on board," Mr Winters said.
Former family violence prevention manger Liz Olsen said the Nia Glassie story is "sickening" because although the support exists, somehow Nia slipped through the gaps.
Ms Olsen used to own and manage Rotorua Violence Prevention Services but had to close her doors in July when a second provider entered the community.
She said if one thing comes out of the Nia story, she hopes people will speak up if they see or hear anything that could be violence.
"Get your hands dirty, get your hands really dirty and jump in there and interfere, or ring somebody. If you hear something, if it sounds bad, make the call to whoever the appropriate parties are," Ms Olsen said.
She said people need to start speaking up otherwise violence against children will continue.
Ms Olsen said she recalls an incident she saw in a local supermarket, before she was working in the violence prevention sector.
"There was a little child in the trolley and she was whinging and grizzling and the woman took her hand and gave her a wide swoop and slapped her across the face. She started to cry and the mother grabbed a chocolate bar and jammed it into her mouth.
"If I had had any gumption I would have absolutely stepped in at the risk to my own dignity, I guess."
Ms Olsen said she hopes the new government address funding issues in the violence prevention sector.
She said her clients were referred to her from the Family Court and the Corrections department for which she received funding.
But Ms Olsen said she had to close her doors to people walking in off the street because she did not receive funding for them and couldn't afford to help them.
"I was actually turning people away who wanted help," Ms Olsen said.
