Mayor Steve Chadwick: Hosting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex a real privilege

Comment
It is a real privilege to be hosting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Rotorua as part of their visit to New Zealand and we should all be very proud that our city was chosen as a stop on their tour.

We have been given the opportunity to share our place not only with our special visitors, but with the rest of the world.

This will be a big occasion and I know that as we always do, our community will come together to show our manaakitanga and give the visitors a very warm welcome.

I know there are many royal fans among our residents so it is a great occasion for them. More than that, however, our visitors' celebrity status also provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase and promote Rotorua to a worldwide audience.

The impact of that exposure is likely to last much longer than the visit itself – it's something you cannot put a price on and we will be looking to leave the royals with great memories and the worldwide media and fans following their tour with a great impression of our wonderful district and country.

The opportunity through this prestigious event to share our strong Te Arawa culture, our landscape and what makes Rotorua unique has the potential to attract not only more visitors but also to showcase our district as a great place to live, work, do business and invest.

Our visitors wanted a genuine Maori cultural experience and where better to get that than right here in Rotorua where the Te Arawa culture is such a big part of the district's identity and has been at the forefront of New Zealand tourism for more than a century.

The royals' welcome at Ohinemutu will demonstrate the importance of Rotorua as a heart of culture and cultural expression in New Zealand. It will also serve to highlight the democratic partnership between Te Arawa and the district and how we work together – tatau tatau – for the benefit of all residents and for the future of Rotorua.

The environment is a key theme for the royal visit so it's also very fitting that they visit Rainbow Springs to see the work of the kiwi breeding programme there – a significant contribution to national efforts to protect our iconic native bird.

The Redwoods forest will also be in the limelight and that's also very fitting given the important role of our forests to our economy and as a favourite recreation area for both locals and visitors.

With worldwide interest in the royals and media from around the globe in tow, we should not underestimate the influence and impact of an event such as this, both nationally and internationally.

As proud locals, we already know Rotorua is special and the royal tour presents a wonderful opportunity to share that pride in our place and provide a taste of what makes our district unique with the rest of the world.

I know Rotorua will do us all proud.