Mayor to meet with spa expert

Rotorua's mayor wants the city to be come the spa capital of the South Pacific.

A visiting international spa expert will meet with Rotorua's mayor next week to discuss options for the city's largely uptapped geothermal resource.

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick's vision for the city to become the South Pacific's premier spa city will move a step closer when she meets with spa expert James White.

Mrs Chadwick and Mr White will discuss Rotorua's untapped potential to substantially develop hot springs and spa complexes and examine options for future development.

Mr White is a specialist hot springs and spa development consultant whose MBA degree thesis was on commercial bathing and spa development concepts.
He is a board member of the Australasian Spa Association and a member of the Global Spa & Wellness Summit Hot Springs Initiative task force.

The Rotorua District Council's economic development agency, Grow Rotorua Ltd, is also working on developing the district's geothermal resources with a focus on creating jobs and business opportunities for landowners.

As part of that focus Grow Rotorua has engaged Mr White to identify a range of successful business models from global research, with support from the Hot Springs Alliance Group of Victoria, Australia.

During his visit Mr White is meeting with Mayor Chadwick, Grow Rotorua and some local businesses to discuss his research and to explore opportunities.

Mrs Chadwick said the work supported the council's Rotorua 2030 key goal around business innovation and prosperity, and more specifically business partnerships to "grow a sustainable economy energised by our natural resources".

"Grow Rotorua can also provide access to global expertise and investment capital where required. They have a database of over 350 leading global spa operators, advisors and investors who could potentially help new developments to be successful," Mrs Chadwick said.

Grow Rotorua general manager Francis Pauwels said that Mr White and his fellow research partner Charles Davidson, owner of Peninsula Hot Springs in Melbourne, are founding members of the Global Hot Springs Initiative based in New York.

"The goal is to make hot springs bathing a part of everyday culture as it already is in Japan and many other countries.
"After all, who doesn't enjoy a long soak in a hot bath?
"Over the next six months Mr White and Grow Rotorua will be working closely with Rotorua landowners on concepts for developing geothermal resources and building on the world leading research we now have available," Mr Pauwels said.