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Rotorua was the one area where property value growth accelerated in the first month of 2022, new data shows.
CoreLogic's latest House Price Index showed Rotorua jumped 3.7 per cent from January to February, taking the annual growth rate to 22.6 per cent. All other areas saw a reduction in the quarterly rate of growth compared to January.
Rotorua's average property value was now $741,098.
Property values in Tauranga also retained some momentum from the end of 2021, rising 1 per cent, however, growth has trended lower over the past few months.
Tauranga's average property value was now $1,178,811.
CoreLogic New Zealand head of research Nick Goodall said he expected the House Price Index will dip further over the coming months as continued rate hikes and tighter credit controls weigh on market conditions.
"The significant drop in the monthly rate of growth from January to February indicates a clear change in trend.
"Regional differences will also start to appear, as local economies, recent first home buyers and property investors all react differently to the changing environment."
Celebrating completion of improvements on SH5, SH30, Rotorua
Transport Minister Michael Wood was in Rotorua last month to celebrate the completion of two significant transport projects for the city.
The visit was to mark the completion of major improvements on State Highway 5 and State Highway 30.
Wood said improving the safety and resilience across the region's state highways would help improve user experience for those traveling to and from Rotorua.
"Rotorua is a growing region with a transport network that serves both inter-regional and local traffic.
"There continues to be a lot of work happening on the state highway network in Rotorua.
"This is an exciting time for the city..."
In Ngongotahā, improvements included upgraded SH5/SH36 two-lane roundabout, featuring a new bypass lane, improved cycle and pedestrian facilities and wider sealed shoulders.
The road has been widened along an 8.1km section of SH5, between Tarukenga and Ngongotahā, and roadside and median safety barriers at high-risk locations have been installed.
Between Sala St and Iles Rd, SH30 now features 3.5km of shared path on both sides, an upgraded SH30/Tarawera Rd intersection, the upgraded Puarenga Bridge underpass, and four lanes between Allen Mills and Iles roads.
The Eastern Corridor – Stage Two project is in construction and will see upgrades to intersections at Basley, Ōwhata and Wharenui roads, a new 3m-wide shared path and on-road cycle lane from Iles Rd to Coulter Rd, an on-road cycle lane, four-laning between Iles and Basley roads and Brent and Ōwhata roads, as well as new pedestrian crossings and refuge islands.
Phase One of the Stage Two project, between Iles Rd and Coulter Rd, received $35 million from the Government's Crown Infrastructure Partners funding for construction to support growth and development in Eastside Rotorua.
Wood acknowledged the significant support from local iwi and hapū.
"The support of local iwi and hapū Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāti Te Roro o Te Rangi/Ngāti Uenukukōpako, Ngāti Tura - Ngāti Te Ngākau is an important part of the success of these projects and continues to be moving forward."
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said these projects have been crucial to ensuring better connections into the city, enabling housing and preparing for growth.
"It's fantastic to see these stages complete."
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TECT Park internationally recognised
TECT All Terrain Park in the Bay of Plenty has been named as one of 24 New Zealand Parks to achieve award-winning status with the Green Flag Award scheme.
The Green Flag Award recognises and rewards parks and green spaces providing high quality and innovative recreational experiences for communities.
The award sets a benchmark standard for recreational outdoor spaces worldwide. Parks are awarded based on a criterion marked by experienced Green Flag Award judges throughout the country.
TECT All Terrain Park was also named one of the Green Flag Award top 10 parks in the world.
Established in 2010, the TECT All Terrain Park provides a regional destination between Rotorua and Tauranga that caters for a wide range of adventure and education activities all while being managed sustainably.
TECT park manager Bill Wheeler said the park was hanging around in some pretty illustrious company.
"We are doing well to even feature on this kind of list and that's all down to the support of the users from all over the Bay."
Recreation Aotearoa, the organisation responsible for managing and judging the New Zealand Green Flag Award, was thrilled to see many parks achieve Green Flag status another year in a row and were pleased to have a number of new parks added to the list.
Recreation Aotearoa parks, play, and open spaces manager, Garrett Blair, said parks and open spaces were vital to communities.
"They are havens for relaxation, connection, education, and escape. Aotearoa has an incredible network of parks and it's fantastic to see our list of Green Flag Award winners grow and be acknowledged internationally."
Physiotherapist leaves Auckland to settle in Rotorua
Lisa Cliffe moved to Rotorua from Auckland to fulfill her dream of becoming a physiotherapist.
The Rotorua-based Active+ physiotherapist and husband Nigel bought a house in Glenholme in October last year.
"Rotorua has always been my favourite place to go on holiday and now I live here."
Auckland born and bred Cliffe was a student at Manurewa High School and did karate when she first came in contact with physiotherapy.
She got a sore wrist and could not do press-ups so ended up going to see a physiotherapist.
That is when she knew that is what she wanted to do.
"I was fascinated by what they did and how they came to their conclusions."
She had a ganglion cyst attached to a nerve so ended up having surgery to remove it.
More than 30 years later, Cliffe said the problem was her grades were not good enough to seriously contemplate becoming a physiotherapist.
"It was very hard work for me because I'm not very academic."
But Cliffe pursued her dream and gained a health science degree majoring in physiotherapy at AUT after four years of study.
After stints as a motorcycle courier driver in central Auckland, a retail assistant in a motorcycle accessory store and a receptionist for a Porsche and Volkswagen dealer, Cliffe said she began to feel restless.
"Nigel said to me: 'If you want to do it, go ahead and do it.' I couldn't have done it without him."
Conscious there might be more to it than just going to university, Lisa gained a fitness instruction certificate first and then worked in a gym.
"That gave me the confidence. I was intelligent enough to do it after all."
Once qualified, she spent the next nine years, half a day in a clinic and the other half at two Auckland high schools treating everyone from teachers, the ground staff and students.
Once in Rotorua, Cliffe began looking for work and landed a job in a clinic at Profiles HQ Gym at 86 Old Taupo Rd.
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Whakatāne Mill expansion gets green light
Whakatāne Mill Ltd will expand its operations in a move that is expected to significantly increase production of paperboard by about 60,000 tonnes a year.
The current production output of the mill sits at about 150,000 tonnes a year.
The company recently received approval from its holding company Power Paperboard Ltd and will begin the expansion in July, 2023.
Expansion costs will be funded jointly by the mill's internally generated cash and a loan from the Bank of New Zealand.
The mill's executive chairman Ian Halliday said the expansion will provide a huge boost for the local economy, and was also good news for the region.
"The mill is already a significant employer and contributor to the Whakatāne and the Bay of Plenty region, and during the construction phase is set to employ more than 300 people.
"The raw materials needed to ramp up production will be almost exclusively sourced from local timber and pulp mills, with the value-added product and increased tonnage expected to boost export revenues for the country."
The power station will use geothermal fluid to generate electricity.