Welcome!

As a council we are successfully lifting our city's reputation. We must continue to invest in city improvements, while sensibly monitoring our debt levels. Our portfolio structure allows us to communicate and listen to your views.

As your representative I am committed to all of these and passionate about cleaner lakes and inner city revitalisation. This includes safer cycling, city art and public-private partnerships with iwi investment.

Monday 29 August 2016

Karen Hunt 2016 Election Statement

I am excited to be standing for re-election in this year’s Rotorua Lakes Council Elections.  I would be grateful of your support.

When I joined the Rotorua District Council in 2007 I had campaigned on several burning issues – Care of the Environment, Art in Public Places, Safe Cycling and Community Safety.  In 2010 I added Sustainable Business Development and in 2013 I also focussed on Balancing the Budget and Our New Inner City.

It’s taken a while, but I have initiated or contributed to major progress in all of these areas over the last nine years.  None of this is about vanity, it’s about listening to what people want.  It’s about observing global trends and adapting them to our own environment.  It begins with keeping up and then taking the lead.

Business Development.

Doing business in Rotorua remains challenging and I applaud the efforts and successes of local businessmen and women.  Rotorua businesses are succeeding, with fewer empty premises, increased employment and significant growth in visitor numbers and GDP.

At a recent meeting organised by the Chamber of Commerce, council candidates were given clear messages: Continue the good work of the current council and for goodness sake work as a team!

Art in Public Places.

Public art is springing up everywhere around the city.  It raises our spirits and adds beauty to our surroundings.  It strongly signals that we are proud of this place and some pieces become tourist attractions in their own right.  Not everybody likes every piece – that’s art.

Our recently compiled Arts Trail map boasts more than 60 pieces to visit and admire.  Most of these works have been funded from existing budgets and philanthropic support from the Rotorua Trust and others.

Balancing the Budget.

Our budget is balanced.  Recent figures confirm a reduction in debt level and an increase of cash-in-hand.  There will always be movement in our rates, especially with large infrastructure projects in our future, but rating levels compare well with other cities our size and I support the need to keep them affordable.

All councils carry debt.  This is important and necessary.  Borrowing allows big projects to be funded over more than one year and allows public amenities to be partly funded by future users, instead of just the current ratepayers.  Our debt level is lower than many NZ cities.

Care of the Environment.

Our environment needs ongoing stewardship which requires a fine balancing act between the absolute requirement for improved lake water with reduced nutrient levels and the understanding of the issues affecting those who make their living off the surrounding land.

For all of my time on the council, I have served on numerous committees working for the improvement of lake water quality.  I have developed a deep understanding of the issues and this knowledge will be important as we begin to grapple with the issues around the redirection of city wastewater out of the forest.  This will be an enormous body of work, which must be completed by 2020.

Our New Inner City.

Remodelling of central city areas is necessary to restore vibrancy and bring us confidently into the 21st Century.  I am pleased to have been involved in the popular Eat Streat development.  While the ongoing City Focus refurbishment may be considered controversial by some, I am confident that next year’s end result will be beautiful, welcoming and continue to honour the rich cultural significance of the meeting of Hinemoa and Tutanekai.

In the future we can look forward to the long awaited redevelopment of our lakefront reserve.  Over the years, I have had the chance to review some very thrilling concepts and ideas for this space.   I’m excited and hopeful that I will have the chance to contribute to the conversation when this project is being undertaken.

Community Safety.

Community safety continues to be an important issue to me and to all city residents.  While this is primarily the responsibility of central government and the police, we have made great strides in this direction locally.

I have encouraged the inclusion of CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) principles into all work carried out on new and remodelled public places.  Remarkable improvements occur when attention is paid to the detail of sightlines, uncluttered spaces and amenity lighting which remove the dark spaces that can encourage dangerous practices and situations.

City of Cycles.

Back in 2007 I voiced the concept of Rotorua as the City of Cycles and I believe that we are moving inevitably toward this designation.  Our recognition as the premier destination for recreational and competitive mountain biking makes this clear. 

It is only a matter of time till we reach our goal of completing a network of safe cycleways throughout the city.  These will bring riders of all kinds (cycles, mobility scooters, rollerskates) into the city to link up with the already completed inner city pathways.  Look at any successful city in the world – this is happening everywhere.

The Holding Pattern Myth.

If we likened Rotorua to an older person, retired or close to it, we would want our mortgage paid off.  We’d paint the house for the last time and buy our last car.  We’d batten down the hatches and await the inevitable decline.

Rotorua is not a person and this comparison does not work.  The city will never retire and lose its income.  New residents are being drawn by our success and our income is growing.  Clearly we must spend it wisely, but not make the mistake of fearfully retracting into some kind of holding pattern.  Our duty is to continually refresh and reinvent a vibrant city that our successors will be proud to inherit.

While it is common for politicians to claim credit for successful developments and projects, it is never the case that everything stands or falls with just one person.  I believe that I have contributed meaningfully to all of the above areas and more, as a fully functioning member of a team.

If I am re-elected in October, hopefully with your support, I will continue to work both energetically and passionately to build us a better city.

Saturday 13 August 2016

The Local Government Awards and why these matter

Every year councils around the country put forward projects to be judged by their peers.  Projects they have been working on, in and with their community.

It’s hardly the Olympics, but it doesn’t get the coverage it deserves.  Why should it get more attention?  Why should you care?

In New Zealand there are 78 local councils, seven regional councils, a few unitary councils and a super city. The business that goes on in these councils rightly reflects current community needs, but must also take note of social and cultural trends that will reshape our communities in the future.

Current needs are fairly simple to understand. Think parks and reserves, dog control, waste recovery, water quality and roading infrastructure. 

Yet it is the social and cultural shifts that will shape the future business of councils. So what are these transformational trends?

This year’s LGA conference themes were:
  • Tomorrows Places: our communities in 2050
  • An international perspective on Tomorrows Places
  • Collaboration and organisation: a regional approach to place making
  • Engaging our communities and telling our stories
  • Customer-centric services and innovative engagement – how community leaders can be intentional about creating a more emotionally engaging place
  • Empowering communities to drive economic growth
  • Resilient towns, cities and regions - creating places for the future
  • Collaborative processes and decision-making – how working together can improve outcomes


Conference speakers stimulated discussion about the wellbeing of people; their desires, their aspirations, their hopes and their dreams.

(Sobering thought: In 2050 I’ll be nearly 90, my children around 60 and someone born today will be 34).

We celebrated community-elected decision makers who coped with the unexpected, faced huge problems in their communities and turned them into opportunities to try something different. 

We heard about the brave souls who stepped into uncharted territory, rife with community resistance and misinformation. These leaders not only survived the experience but also embraced the transformation this initiated in their towns and cities.

The visionary leaders we celebrated are those who bring transformational projects together. These projects reflect a shift in consciousness of their community towards the communities of the future.

People gave examples of transformational projects, of working together and becoming economically independent and resilient.  There were many case histories of communities creating beautiful places, working collaboratively to re-ignite a sense of what it means to belong.

Back to my first statement....

The Local Government Awards and why these matter.

At the 2016 LGNZ conference, Rotorua Lakes Council won the Supreme Award for its Te Arawa Partnership project. This was a team effort and the staff and community are to be congratulated for their courage in supporting this game changing partnership. If it is true that the elected representatives reflect the consciousness of their community, then we are on the right track.

You can read for yourself the criteria we were judged on.  This was a courageous undertaking and I believe that we and our country are the better for it.

Martin Jenkins Judges' Choice Award for Outstanding Value and Service Delivery

Drawn from all finalists, one council will be presented with the Judges' Choice Award in recognition of its outstanding delivery of best practice, value and service to its community.

This award will recognise the increased value, benefit or improvements to the overall well-being of the people within its town, city, district or region, delivered through outstanding community engagement, environment, infrastructure, creative or economic development strategies, projects and initiatives.



This immense recognition truly befits community and the council that I believe in.  This is why the awards matter and why I’m standing for re-election to the Rotorua Lakes Council.

Thursday 11 August 2016

Positive Signs

Had a busy afternoon today erecting my campaign signs for this year's election.  They have around 60 days to work their magic before coming down again on the night before Election Day on 8th October.

Over the coming eight weeks, I'll be preparing statements and comments on topical issues and matters of concern, as requested by various groups and publications.  I'll also post them here for those who may wish to review them.

I'm looking forward to the chance to debate the issues that matter to our community and I'm happy to stand by this council's record of success.  I trust that all candidates will campaign positively and openly.  I wish everyone the best of luck.