Covid 19 coronavirus: Public meeting to address Rotorua's homeless issue postponed

Rotorua MP Todd McClay says meeting on homelessness, social disorder and crime will be postponed until a return to Alert Level 1. Photo / File

Rotorua National MP Todd McClay has postponed a meeting to give residents the opportunity to voice their concerns over homelessness, social disorder and crime in the city - following the move to Alert Level 2.

The meeting which was scheduled to happen tomorrow night at the Arawa Bowling Club came after a petition calling for urgent council action on city safety and homelessness garnered more than 1000 signatures in less than a week last month.

Families too nervous to let their children walk to school because of neighbouring issues with crime and loitering had raised those problems with McClay.

Residents of Glenholme, Fenton Park and the CBD were becoming increasingly agitated with people using Fenton St and surrounding areas to deal with Rotorua's housing shortage, he said.

But McClay told the Rotorua Daily Post today feedback he had received from his office, social media and talking to those in the community indicated that ''hundreds and hundreds of people'' were expected to turn up.

''And of course, we're restricted to only 100, with social distancing. So I think to be fair to everybody who is interested in this issue, we will postpone, and I'll confirm another day, once we move back to Level One.''

It was disappointing he said ''because people have been waiting a long time for this forum''.

''But I give can give them absolute assurance, as soon as we get to Level One, we'll organise that meeting and probably now have to look for a larger venue so that everybody can be treated properly.''

''The issue remains as important to me as all of those residents. And it's something that I will continue to take up on their behalf with urgency''

Tammy-Lee Holmes who lives on Lytton St, parallel to Fenton St, said last week they won't even let their children walk to school.

"Increasingly over the year, the activity in the area included loitering, stray toddlers, fights, gang activity, stray animals," she said.

"We moved here so our kids could walk to school but that's just an absolute no-go at the moment. We've got quite a few elderly and vulnerable people in the area as well."

Holmes has since become the local neighbourhood watch contact and had hoped the meeting would help ensure residents' voices were heard.

She had even booked a babysitter so she could attend the meeting with her husband.