News Release 
Friday 29 November 2013

Community’s turn to have a say on Rotorua 2030 vision

Community engagement on the bold new vision for Rotorua and what the district will look like by 2030 begins tomorrow, with a number of ways in which the public can contribute feedback.

Rotorua residents get to have their say on the draft Rotorua 2030 vision over two weeks from November 30, through face-to-face conversations with councillors at a series of pop-up sites throughout the district and via an online survey on the council website rdc.govt.nz.

Rotorua District Council finalised a draft version of the Rotorua 2030 vision earlier this month following a series of workshops where elected members worked through a wide range of ideas, issues and aspirations for developing the district.

Rotorua 2030 sets out seven major long-term goals, along with four key priorities for the council and community to achieve together by 2016, the end of the current three-year council term.

The seven key goals cover a cross-section of community, environmental and economic matters, while the four priorities for 2016 are developing a vibrant city heart that brings people and activity to the inner city; developing Rotorua’s economic base by growing existing, and attracting new, businesses to the region; supporting the creation of healthy homes; and building sustainable infrastructure and affordable, effective council services.

Mayor Steve Chadwick says the next important step for the vision process involves checking with the community whether the Rotorua 2030 goals and 2016 priorities are “about right” and whether anything vital has been overlooked.

“We need both long-term goals to establish our direction, and short-term milestones to help us get there, starting with what we need to achieve together by 2016.

“This journey will only be possible by partnering together to create a sense of community ownership for building a better Rotorua; this is the concept of ‘tatou tatou’ (we together) in action.”

As well as an online survey on the council’s website, there will be a series of pop-up sites throughout the district and at different public events where people can have conversations with councillors about the vision, its priorities and goals, and complete a brief survey.

The first of the councillors’ pop-up sites will be at City Focus to coincide with the Rotorua Christmas Parade this Saturday, November 30.

Over the following two weeks, there will be more than 30 pop-up sites at City Focus, the Library, Night Market, Aquatic Centre, council Customer Centre and many other locations. A full list of the pop up sites is on the council website.

The questions residents are being asked about the vision are:
1.       Do you support the seven goals of Rotorua 2030
2.       Do you support the four priorities for achievement by 2016?
3.       Is there anything else you would like to add?

For more information on Rotorua 2030, to see a full schedule of the councillors’ pop-up sites, or to fill out the online survey, visit rdc.govt.nz

ENDS

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