Laura Smith

Drugs, theft, safety fears: Tourism village's emergency housing motel impacts

A claim that emergency housing motels have not impacted tourism in Rotorua has been rubbished by one...

Newly revamped pool thefts, vandalism costs council thousands

Rotorua's newly upgraded Aquatic Centre has had to deal with thousands of dollars worth of theft and...

Sewerage scheme fence comes down at tapu lake amid wait for court decision

The fence at the worksite of a controversial sewerage scheme was taken down on Friday while Rotorua’...

'Bulls***' call as Rotorua Council agrees lease offer for golf land

A new 30-year lease will be offered to a golf club at the centre of heated council debates. While a ...

New Bay of Plenty lifejacket rule aims to minimise deaths on water

A water safety advocacy group has praised a Bay of Plenty rule change that will see more people don ...

Tagging troubles: The city where graffiti reports tripled in a year

Graffiti more than tripled in Rotorua in the year to June 30 — costing ratepayers more than $100,000...

'The heart of Māoridom': Rotorua will poll on Māori wards

A council in "the heart of Māoridom" has voted to hold a binding poll on its Māori ward in a meeting...

Injunction to keep protesters 1m away from sewerage works fails – for now

A council has failed in its legal bid for an injunction on protesters to stay at least a metre from ...

Rotorua mayor faces backlash for 'shut down' of councillor in meeting

Rotorua's Mayor Tania Tapsell has been criticised for the way she "shut down" the country's longest-...

Death threat alleged at sewerage works near sacred Rotorua lake

A guardian of a sacred lake near Rotorua alleges a crewman working on a nearby sewerage scheme threa...