Rotorua Lakes Council

2024 was a massive year for Council and Rotorua 👏 We couldn't have done it without our incredible staff, contractors and business partners. Thank you for making this year such a success! This year was a special one too - the first year with our new Chief Executive Andrew Moraes, congratulations to you! Meri Kirihimete, have a safe and happy holiday 😄

If you’re in the construction industry, or you’ve renovated or built your own home, chances are you’ve met one of council’s building inspectors 🏡 With ever changing rules and regulations, it’s up to our team of expert inspectors to assist and educate the local industry, something that doesn’t happen everywhere says Team Leader Carl Lomas. “Having worked in the industry, I’ve seen what happens when you don’t get that constant education about the changes happening at a Government level. Without the assistance from the Inspectors, it’s all up to you to stay ahead of the changes. “As a builder you only know what you know, you’re building to plans and sometimes you’re not aware that the rules have suddenly changed. That’s where the inspection team are here to help. “Our role is about keeping everyone safe, from the people carrying out the work, to the public using the building. If you can go home at night knowing that you’ve helped someone out, that’s a really positive part of the job.” Keep reading the quarterly Development Download newsletters to stay up to date with changes within the industry, and tips and tricks for ensuring your engagements with council go smoothly bit.ly/4ge6erp Pictured: Israel Reid, Brad Cutforth, Jessica Hanson, Berkie Kapa, Glenn Marjoribanks, Peter Richards and Carl Lomas. #buildinginspection #Rotorua #development

RLC #summerinterns - Anita ☀ She’s back for round two! Previously an intern in our Active and Engaged Communities team, this year Anita has been helping the Integrated Planning & Development kick off the state of #environment monitoring 🌏 Anita has just finished her Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science and Geography, and next year will be diving into further studies in a Masters in Water Science at the University of Canterbury 💧 This internship allows her to relates to studies in geography as it gives insight into a real world application and  the wide range of topics that planning covers. Anita likes that it gives her a holistic view beyond just the science she reads about in her textbooks, and is able to see how what she is studying affects people in the day-to-day. The studies augments her experience as it gives a more well-rounded approach to her role at council and a better understanding of the idea behind the policies. She really loves the topics that she is studying and hopes her studies will lead to an interesting and relevant career where she can work both inside and out in the field. Having grown up just south of #Rotorua on a dairy farm, she enjoys getting into the outdoors, running, tramping and skiing 🌅 Her advice to other rangatahi? “Jump on any opportunity that comes your way, and back yourself!” 📸 Charlotte Pinfold

RLC #summerinterns - Mikayla & Yani 👏 Mikayla has joined our community safety team, working with local communities and businesses daily with a focus on crime prevention. Local to the BOP region, Mikayla and has recently moved to Rotorua with her partner. She applied for the internship as she wants to “give back the community that has shown her warmth”. Yani is a safe city guardian, working alongside businesses and police to keep our CBD safe. #Rotorua has been home for Yani since 2019. She’s become involved with the community who have now become her whānau. Mikayla is currently doing her Masters in Behaviour Analysis at The University of Waikato, which she believes gives her a more practical and unique perspective in her role and life outside of work. Mikayla likes to play video games and hang out with family in her spare time. Once she completes her psychology studies at the University of Otago, Yani plans to get stuck into social work and community welfare mahi. She believes this knowledge helps her to connect our community with the right support, and gives her a practical perspective. Yani loves that her role means she’s actively engaging with the community every day. When she’s not out mountain biking, you’ll catch Yani doing some volunteer work out in the #community. Their advice for rangatahi: do what excites you, take it slow and enjoy the experience! 📸 Charlotte Pinfold

Summer Interns 2025 ✨ Feran and Khalid are both on the Development and Partnerships team, with their main duty being to gather data by looking into building consents. This involves finding the building address, site areas, and layout of the rooms, and capturing the information into spreadsheets This work helps the team understand and get a profile of the supply of houses, housing type and their location in the Rotorua District. Feran is studying construction management at AUT - Auckland University of Technology, so he loves gaining knowledge on how houses are built or laid out as well as the ins and outs of building and resource. Khalid has just finished a Bachelor of Business majoring in Business information systems. He is particularly interested in how data is interpreted and is gaining valuable insights into this area through this internship. Both originally from Rotorua, they still have family here and retain deep ties to the community. As the team is a very small and tight-knit unit, they enjoy the teamwork that’s involved in working together. Feran enjoys basketball and plays a few times a week, while Khalid is on the lookout for a new football team to get stuck into! #summerintern #rotorua #buildingconsent

Dad jokes, festive spirits and heartfelt commendations filled the room yesterday as we recognised the legends who work among us every day 😎 The annual Legends Awards put a spotlight on staff who showed exemplary service and dedication to displaying our values; Inspiring, Helpful, Innovative, Respectful, Engaging, and Contribution to biculturalism 👏 We are consistently inspired by the wealth of talent and commitment within our ranks 🥹 The 18 recipients showed incredible passion for their roles and genuinely make a difference within the Rotorua community. He wae kai kapua, he wae kai pakiaka When you stand with your thoughts to the sky and are grounded in the earth, you will never fall ✨ Pictured left to right: Kim McGrath, Anna Grayling, George Oake, Alex Barrett, Tania Togiatama, Gary Coker, Andrew Moraes (CE), Greg Kieck, Tania Tapsell (Mayor), Zac Pinder, Darlene Thomas, Cherie R., Glenn Marjoribanks, Simone G., Josiah Paul, Kevin Greene, Amy Spurdle, Bruce Horne (Legends Awards MC), Jason Ward Not pictured: Cherie Karaha, Allan Simes

With the record number of new homes being built across the district, and more new developments than Rotorua has seen in decades, it would be easy to think that council’s work to enable more housing has slowed down... 👀 That is not the case 😎 Preparing for growth and enabling the development of enough homes, of the types required to suit our community, remains a priority for this Council 🏡 Keen to keep up to date with the district going against national trends? Subscribe to our Development Download newsletter https://bit.ly/4ge6erp #newbuilds #housingdevelopment #Rotorua

We are thrilled to welcome this year's summer interns to council! Our internship programme has been going strong for over 20 years and this year, we’re proud to have our largest cohort ever, selected from 145 applications! 🙌 Join us in welcoming these talented individuals to the team!! 💙

Congratulations Julie Southall for being named Emerging Leader of the Year! An incredible achievement 👏 Well done to Rotorua Airport as well for being awarded the Medium Airport Community Engagement Initiative of the Year award for the wonderful Matariki Dinner event they hosted earlier this year! #CommunitySpirit #Leadership

Heke heke iho ngā roimata Riripiripi haehae te ngākau Mapu kau ana te whatumanawa. Kua hinga te tōtara haemata o Te Waonui a Tāne. Tā Robert (Bom) Gillies, moe mai rā, moe mai rā. Tears, heavy and relentless Hearts torn and lacerated by the weight of grief Every pulse, every ache a painful reminder. A lofty tōtara, a great leader has fallen. Sir Robert (Bom) Gillies rest in love and peace. Our community and country, are saddened to learn Sir Robert Gillies, last surviving member of the 28th Māori Battalion, has passed away. Rotorua Lakes Council flags will fly at half mast to acknowledge the loss of a brave soldier, who was part of a battalion that played a crucial role in New Zealand’s military history. *Photo courtesy of NZME