Recycling, Public Toilets and Planning ... Dissatisfaction Again!

Every year the National Research Bureau (NRB) surveys 400 local residents about their satisfaction with Council performance.  From this sample size we get a fairly good idea (statistically speaking) of what RDC does well and the areas where we need some improvement.  There is a high level of community satisfaction, but there are three main areas of dissatisfaction: planning and inspection services, public toilets and recycling.

Planning and inspection reviews are ongoing and this area will be further examined by a survey of those who have recently used the service.

Following lasts year's NRB survey a report on our public toilets is in progress, with budgets for improvements being set for this coming financial year.

We know that recycling is an issue for many in our community.  For the past eight years community members have made repeated submissions based on their desire for a kerbside recycling collection, similar to the other 73 councils around the country who provide such a service.  

Our current recycling contracts are due to expire. If you want kerbside, NOW is the time to change how we handle your recycling. You now have the opportunity to speak up about what it is you want.  The Draft Annual Plan is due out on the 1st April and open for submissions until 7^th May.  

You are being asked to state your preference to either keep the status quo (in town drop-off centre) with some minor improvements or for the cost of under $2 per week ($100.85 per annum) have a kerbside wheelie bin collection in the urban area.  The in-town centre would still operate on a smaller scale to provide for those in the rural areas and for anyone who has more recycling than will fit in their bin.

Still unsure?  Come and listen to Council staff present the recent waste management report at a public information evening.  The floor will be open to discuss the issues and raise questions.

Where:    Green Drinks, at the Blue Baths in the Government Gardens

Date:       Tuesday 4th May 

Time:       5 - 7pm (meeting starts 6.00), refreshments available.

Check out their website: http://www.greendrinks.org//Rotorua

Her Worship The Mayor?

It’s election year and there is speculation in the press and elsewhere about who is going to enter the mayoral race in 2010.

I was asked by the Rotorua Daily Post whether I would be standing for mayor this year and my response was published there about a month ago.  An article in the latest Rotorua Review implies that there is ongoing uncertainty about my position, so I’d like to use this forum to make it clear.

My first term as a Rotorua District Councillor has been a stimulating and rewarding experience.  I believe I am making a difference in the Council and I will definitely be standing for re-election as an RDC Councillor this year.  I have no intention of running for the Rotorua mayoralty.

We are in for an interesting next few months leading up to the end of postal voting on 9th October.

Your vote matters, so remember to vote and have your say!

Rotorua – Sydney. Soooo Easy!

I’ve just gotten home from a trip to Sydney.  My desk is stacked high with meeting papers for this week’s Council commitments, but the travel experience was so good that I want to report on it before getting started on the reading.

Some people have said that Sydney flights from Rotorua are expensive, but I booked my travel on the internet and the one-way price I found was as good as it gets at $150.  By the time taxes got added, the return trip cost around $400.  No more expensive than flying from Auckland or Hamilton and once you factor in the time and expense of getting to a different airport, it’s hard to beat.

The departure experience from Rotorua Airport was easy.  I just had to fill in the departure card, step up to the immigration counter, get a coffee and take a seat to await the boarding call.  The Airbus arrived and the incoming passengers disembarked. It felt like we were boarding in no time.
 

The Air New Zealand Airbus 320 carries just over 140 passengers.  Even my relatively full flight boarded quickly and we were soon on our way.  The Airbus is a comfortable and quiet plane and the in-flight entertainment and meal made the three and a half hour flight seem quite short.
 
I have to say that it took me a while to notice what was “special” about the aircraft safety briefing.  I‘ve taken a few flights over the years and most times I have to confess that I don’t always pay as much attention as I should.  Then I noticed what the staff in the video were (or weren’t) wearing!

I’m proud that our airline has had the courage to run with a good idea and been prepared to stand out from the others; a bit like Rotorua’s decision to “go international.”  Take a close look at the Air New Zealand ad, filmed in similar style, which has certainly raised a few eyebrows ….
 


Sydney was great.  Once I had gotten over the shock of just getting there so quickly, followed by the shock of the heat – 28 degrees at 6pm, it was great to get into all that the city has to offer.  This time it included fine dining, shopping, a movie and a play as well as a fantastically informative bicycle tour of the city centre.

The flight home was even shorter than the trip out and it was great to be welcomed back to Aotearoa in song, sung live in the arrival hall.  I was in my car within minutes and heading home around the lake, thrilled with my trip, but as always happy to be home.

When are you going to book your flight from Rotorua to Sydney?

Learn To Swim For New Immigrants

On Tuesday I attended a Community Parks and Recreation Committee Meeting.  These are held every six weeks as part of the annual Council meeting cycle and are attended by the Mayor, District Councillors and staff from the various Council operations.  We discussed the Unison Learn to Swim Program, held at the Rotorua Aquatic Centre and how successful it has become in teaching our children to swim and be safe around the lakes, streams and pools that are such an important feature of our region.

 

During the discussion I recalled the terrible tragedy of a new immigrant to Rotorua who drowned last year at Lake Tarawera.  He was playing cricket with his children and family and accidently stepped into very deep water.  He had come from India and neither he nor anyone else in his family new how to swim.  There was no one around who could save him.

 

I asked at the meeting if there are any systems in place to ensure that new immigrants to our region know how to swim or have basic water safety skills.  It expected that the children of immigrants will be catered for in the Unison school program, but no one knew of any program available to the adults themselves.  Ironically it's the adults we would expect to be able to help their children in difficulty, not vice versa.

 

I have asked Rotorua Aquatic Centre manager Louis Sylvester to meet with Heather MacAllister who is the Settlement Support Co-ordinator for the Rotorua District Council to discuss these issues.  I hope they will be able to set up a program specifically based around the needs of new immigrants to Rotorua.  Hopefully future tragedies like the one at Lake Trarwera last year can be averted.

Hey! I can see my house from here!

What a BLAST!!!!

Keith Gallaher from NZONE offered me a tandem skydive and I did it yesterday.  It was intended that we would land in the Village Green to mark the beginning of yesterday's fabulous Rotorua Airshow held at the Lakefront, but high winds prevented us from doing this safely and it was decided that the jump, which I shared with two competition winners, would end back at NZONE Headquarters at Rotorua Airport.

I have always wanted to try skydiving and I was very excited to finally get the chance.  I thought that I'd be pretty scared as the event got closer and especially once I was geared up and receiving my briefing, but I didn't really feel afraid at any time.  The NZONE operation is clean, efficient and very professional.  It's all about two things:

The fun part takes care of itself with the banter between jumpers and staff - my Tandem Master Paul would have put anyone at ease, the beauty of a small plane flight over our exquisite city and surrounding lakes and of course the sheer exhileration of launching out of the plane and into freefall!  The sensation of floating free in that huge expanse beats any other form of flying and the speed is deceptive, with the only real sensation of our rocketing fall coming as we blasted downward through some light cloud.  The gentle descent after the 'chute deployed and easy landing despite the wind was a lovely way to come back to earth.

Apart from the fun, everything else is about safety.  There is the detailed briefing and obvious experience and care of the staff (they don't take chances), the extensive array of well-maintained equipment, the warm and well-organised facility (toilet handy) and the robust and solid little airplane.  Even the very young co-pilot seemed strangely right and OK, though I only noticed him after I was back on the ground!

As a Rotorua District Councillor, I am strongly of the view that the tourist industry is a major asset to our region and a key to future prosperity of the whole city.  I am delighted to have experienced first-hand, another part of what our city has to offer and can now speak more knowledgeably about this facet of what we are able to offer visitors and residents.

My thanks go to Keith, Paul and the rest of the team and NZONE.  If you are game to take the plunge with them, you can be sure of a fantastic experience.

Check out the video ....

International Women's Day - 8th March 2010

Women's rights are something we tend to take for granted here in New Zealand, but still an achievement very much worth celebrating and important to promote in places not so fortunate as here.

  

It was great to hear our first woman Prime Minister, the Honorable Dame Jenny Shipley speak to a gathering of local women at breakfast this morning.  The meeting was held at the Distinction Hotel and organised by the local Soroptomists group.

  

Dame Jenny is a facinating speaker who spoke of leadership at all levels of society and around the world.  I was particularly pleased to note that local high schools were represented by their women student leaders.

  

Zonta also celebrate women in the community and I was very humbled today to recieve a Zonta yellow rose, one of five given to women in our community who are seen to be making a difference.

  

As women we have the opportunity and responsibility to lead where we can, by supporting other women and making a positive difference in the lives of those around us.

Inaugural Rotorua Night Market

Thursday 4th March. What a fabulous night to kick off the Rotorua Night Market!

A block of Tutanekai street was cordoned off between Pukuatua and Haupapa Streets, rows of stalls had been assembled along with a performance area and suspended lighting was in place for when the natural light eventually needed reinforcement.

Everything looked great, smelled great and there were so many people!  It was wonderful to see so many families out enjoying themselves.  There were stalls featuring locally made art, including items from Ron at De Flute glass, paintings by Kristian Lomath, handmade necklaces and some beautiful contemporary Maori jewellery made from resin and bone.  

There was plenty of locally grown and prepared produce as well as a number of stalls selling tasty snacks for hungry children or adults wanting to refuel while they browsed.

From art to baby clothes, mussels to pasties, the Night Market had something for everyone and the ice carving had to be seen to be believed.  It was also a great opportunity to catch up with friends.  The city really hummed.

Don't miss the next Rotorua Night Market on Thursday 11th March!

Kerbside or Drop-off?

I am passionate about recycling and at the moment I recycle everything I can at the in-town recycling centre.  I have always liked the idea of kerbside collection and I know that many people in our community feel the same way.

This week I attended a workshop on waste minimisation focusing on recycling options for our community. Material included the costs, advantages and disadvantages of the current drop off centre and of kerbside collection.

It is no surprise that kerbside collection will come at a cost.  In addition to the cost of the collection, collected material is often mixed in together and difficult to separate.  Potentially this "contaminated" recycling won't fetch the same price that our current "clean" recycled material does.

It's not just a simple question of should we or shouldn't we collect from the kerbside and what difference would it make to our rates.  Other important questions include:

• Is the community prepared for the additional cost of kerbside collection?
  
• Should all  urban and rural areas receive the same approach?
  
• Should the convenience of a kerbside collection  be more important than being able to sell all the recycled products for a good price? (currently all products at the recycling centre are profitable)
  
• Is it better to collect as much as possible from a kerbside collection knowing that some will be contaminated and need to be landfilled anyway? (15-30% contamination from co-mingled wheelie bins, broken glass in paper being the main culprit.) However if you keep the glass separate then the contamination rates drop to about 10%.
  
• How can we present this information  in enough detail to allow you to make an informed submission?

Please reply with your comments.  Ask questions and most of all make a submission supporting your view.

I will let you know when the Draft Annual Plan is out and when you need to send in your submissions.