Covid-19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Māori Party launches petition against more MIQ in Rotorua

The Rydges MIQ facility on Fenton St in Rotorua. Photo / File

The Māori Party has launched a petition against any more Managed Isolation and Quarantine facilities opening in Rotorua.

Covid-19 Response minister Chris Hipkins and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment have confirmed the development of new MIQ facilities were being considered, including in Rotorua, despite opposition from the community.

However, Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi said it was inappropriate that the city was being considered, when the Lakes DHB had made it clear another facility in Rotorua would put too much pressure on the healthcare sector.

Waititi feared a new facility would stretch healthcare staff and resources, and would mean Rotorua locals missed out on good healthcare.

He said a new facility would bring greater risks for exposure to the disease, and use of a local hotel would mean the hospitality and tourism industry would take longer to get back on its feet.

Waititi said it was time another region stepped up, such as Queenstown.

"Forty per cent of the Rotorua population is Māori. The negative impact of these Government decisions are significantly higher for Rotorua because our people are at greater risk of falling through all of the gaps.

"Te Arawa is renowned for their manaakitanga (hospitality); it is the bedrock behind their tourism success. They have done their bit and now their manaakitanga is being abused.

"Rotorua is now being unfairly targeted; Te Arawa iwi and Rotorua locals, as the receiving communities ... are the key stakeholders in this debate and they must be listened to."

The petition comes after Rotorua Lakes councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait last week lashed out at the Government over potential plans for more managed isolation facilities in Rotorua, saying ''stay away, you are not wanted''.

Raukawa-Tait, who is also a Lakes District Health Board member, said Rotorua was "already paying a heavy price for piss-poor government housing policy and now our economic recovery will be seriously compromised by taking another large hotel out of circulation".

A number of Rotorua leaders confirmed they received an email from a Government official last week asking for feedback about new MIQ.

A copy obtained by the Rotorua Daily Post said the Government had identified hotels "that could potentially be suitable and we are now engaging with them and with key local stakeholders".