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 of the oldest tourism operators in the country.

A three-day hearing began on Tuesday for submissions on the Government's bid to extend consents for seven emergency housing motels.

Independent commissioner David Hill is considering the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development's applications to Rotorua Lakes Council to keep operating the seven motels for up to another year after 13 motel resource consents granted in 2022 expire in December.

All but one of the 37 submitters oppose the applications.

Contracted emergency housing prioritises families/whānau with children, young people, and people with disabilities. It also can include kuia, kaumātua, and elderly individuals. It includes wrap-around support.

On day three of the hearing, representatives of Whakarewarewa – The Living Māori Village argued three nearby motels should not be granted an extension.

The Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao people of the geothermal village have welcomed visitors to learn about their way of life for more than 200 years.

Village general manager Tanya Robinson said she did not believe the impact to tourism had been minor.

Economist Shamubeel Eaqub gave evidence for the ministry on Wednesday that his analysis showed "no credible effects on tourism".

He disagreed with other submitters' concerns about tourism capacity, reputational damage and increased crime as a result of emergency housing motels.

He said the impact on capacity had been "extremely small" and Rotorua's share of tourists had increased over the last three years.

He believed reputational damage and crime would be more likely if the consents were not granted.

Robinson disagreed, saying her team often felt "one incident away from national news".

"The types of things are staff deal with are very confronting."

This included staff afraid to get out of their cars alone, finding human waste at the front door and people sleeping rough by a "derelict" toilet outside.

Staff knew rough sleepers came from the motels because they spoke to them or saw them on security cameras, some having been turned away from their motel after curfew hours.

There had been thefts, she said, and tourists witnessing people on drugs "spinning out".

While the commissioner may have heard incident numbers had reduced since 2022, Robinson said reporting decreased because incidents became "business as usual".

She also believed consents for the three nearby motels were breached as they had not communicated with the village, nor provided channels for complaints — requirements she recently learned about.

Robinson learned in the hearing the three motels had stopped accepting new residents and were expected to close by mid-2025.

She said there had been no communication about that, and six months would include the village's "high season" and was still too long.

While overnight security and morning car park cleaning was helpful, she said it was an indication the motels understood their residents caused problems.

"The impact we carry is just too great."

Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao representative Manuariki Tini stood firm against the consents for the three nearby motels.

Tini said there were people "exploiting [the village's] sacred resources". Food was stolen, baths used, and drug paraphernalia found in the village.

She said it was unlawful, disrupted the cultural landscape and values and, violated the village's "spiritual and historical integrity".

The use of the motels clashed with district plans, she said, including for growing tourism and maintaining and enhancing quality of residential land.

She said the village needed to be safeguarded, given its role in promoting the city to tourists.

"Our village stands as one of the earliest tourism initiatives where we convey our cultural heritage through guided tours, cultural performances and providing traditional food."

Hill acknowledged the attempt in the last consent decision to facilitate communication between the village, agencies and motels but it seemed unsuccessful.

Rotorua resident and neighbour of a consented emergency housing (CEH) motel of two years, Peniel Elliott, offered a different perspective.

"However flawed it is CEH provides critical service to those who need it the most," she said.

Elliott believed positive experiences outweighed negative.

While motel housing was not ideal, she did not believe there were enough alternatives available, so a one-year extension was reasonable and rational.

"We have confidence providers are doing their best in a very difficult time."

Elliott hosted hundreds of visitors at her property in the last two years and said almost all loved their experience.

She acknowledged her experiences differed to others.

"I understood for some it has been a four-year journey … these concerns should not be minimised."

Elliott said she witnessed crime and antisocial behaviour in areas of the city without emergency housing motels.

The hearing ended on Thursday and Hill expected to have a decision in three or four weeks.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

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