Lakefront advisory group gets approval from Rotorua Lakes Council

Rotorua's Lakefront development will get an advisory group, the council has decided. Photo/Stephen Parker

An advisory board will oversee the first stage of Rotorua's proposed multimillion-dollar Lakefront development, the council has decided.

Plans detailed in Rotorua Lakes Council's Long Term Plan (LTP) consultation document propose a $58 million development.

It will include an interactive sculpture park that "tells the cultural stories of Te Arawa", visitor and coach parking, upgraded public toilets, a waka launching space and viewing platform, and jetty changes.

Councillors voted unanimously at a meeting today to give an advisory board for the project the green light, after a recommendation from the council's Operations and Monitoring Committee. The group, which will operate for six months, will be tasked with progressing the "masterplan and vision for the development of the Rotorua lakefront", a report to the committee stated.

But questions were raised today about a perceived lack of local people included in the group.

The advisory group's members would include former Auckland Waterfront Development Agency Ltd chairman Sir Bob Harvey, two members of the Gifted Reserves Protocol Committee and two others.

Councillor Mark Gould said there should be local people in the advisory group.

Chief executive Geoff Williams said local people would be involved in the development project, but the advisory board was about getting parties together for co-investment.

Councillor Raj Kumar said he would also have liked to have seen more local people involved, but he believed the group should be set up regardless of where people were from, "for the good of Rotorua".

Councillor Peter Bentley asked how much the advisory board would cost ratepayers.

Group manager of strategy and partnerships Jean-Paul Gaston said the cost of the work the group would be doing was already budgeted for.

Councillor Rob Kent was late to the meeting and did not vote on the motion. Charles Sturt and Merepeka Raukawa-Tait were not present.

The council is also consulting on a proposal to create a new council controlled organisation (CCO) to take over the project when the six months are over.

The CCO would cost $250,000 per year.

Consultation on the LTP will close on April 13.

Mayor Steve Chadwick said she was pleased with the level of LTP engagement and feedback so far, but was keen to hear from more people.

"Everybody – young and old – has a stake in Rotorua's future and in what is proposed to continue our district's progress across the next decade.

"We've had some great engagement and conversations so far on our proposed 2018-28 Long-term Plan, including with youth, and there has been good interest at community meetings but we're keen to hear from more people in these last two weeks of consultation."

Long Term Plan engagement
• 26,000 households throughout the district received information about the proposed LTP
• 1200 visits by 874 individuals to the council's online consultation hub Let's Talk/Korero Mai to access information about the proposed LTP
• 1000 people engaged at eight information sessions, 10 youth workshops, four information stalls, 10 community meetings and drop-in sessions
• 381 people have so far provided feedback verbally at community meetings and via youth workshops, online, by email or via quick forms