Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Mike Steiner pushing for change in the CBD

By Mike Watson
Rotorua Daily Post·
17 Dec, 2013 06:40 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Mike Steiner has a strong belief in personal responsibility.

It is what has pushed him, and others in the Inner City Focus Group, to get the "scruffy" CBD "sparkling" again.

The Kaponga-bred boy, and a Rotorua retailer for nearly 50 years, has been behind the impetus to make the city attractive and welcoming to shoppers again.

He has been chosen as the Rotorua Daily Post Person of the Month for November.

He was named Business Person of the Year at the Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards in October.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Steiner instigated the Inner City Focus Group after standing up in a council pre-election meeting to argue there was a better option than using the old Westpac Bank building as a super loo.

He told stakeholders at the meeting putting a super loo in the building to revitalise the inner city "was not going to do it".

"The meeting was a disaster for me ... I lost my cool," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But he struck a chord with some of the attendees, and more importantly with the powers that be, in a submission to Rotorua District Council's annual plan.

He emailed stakeholders at the meeting and asked whether they disagreed or agreed with his view. Everyone was entitled to an opinion, he said.

"I cajoled and bullied everyone . . . the decision makers could see where we were going and there was good, productive conversation.

"I just believed it was time to stand up if we wanted to be included in the revitalisation and rebuild."

Discover more

New sculpture garden gets Key's endorsement

03 Apr 07:55 PM

It is part of his underlying philosophy to take responsibility - something he strongly believes is missing from today's society.

"We don't take enough personal responsibility - we leave it up to others - it was time we took what we had here in Rotorua and put our best foot forward to put our own house in order."

The Inner City Focus Group plans are not new, with many cities in New Zealand and around the world undergoing revivals, he said.

"What we are doing is not bold, it is just common sense."

So far the response to the revitalisation of the inner city had been "phenomenal", he added.

Gardens have been replanted, buildings repainted and sculptures installed to make the CBD bright, attractive and pleasant for shoppers to be in, he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's been absolutely fantastic, people are energised ...

"Everyone has got on board to support the ideas."

He promised there were more projects to come - some of which will be "exciting", others which may be "hard to swallow".

"The main thing is everything is being looked at.

"Over the next 10-20 years Rotorua will have a new look - there will be more inner city living, more green spaces, as people return to the area."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM

Mark 'Shark' Hohua died in June 2022 after a violent assault over money.

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP