Rotorua Contracted Emergency Housing - Community Liaison Group

About contracted emergency housing

In 2021, we contracted 13 motels for emergency housing in Rotorua, following the establishment of the Rotorua Housing Taskforce. The taskforce was established in March 2021 to develop options for providing better support and outcomes for people living in emergency housing.

We’re responsible for applying for resource consents on behalf of the motel operators, the ultimate consent holders.

We were granted resource consent for 13 contracted emergency housing motels until 14 December 2024. The number of households requiring contracted emergency housing reduced over this period and we were able to stop using six of the 13 motels.

While demand for contracted emergency housing reduced, there remained a need for households to be able to access this support while other housing solutions like social and transitional housing supply increased. In mid-2024, we applied for resource consent for seven contracted emergency housing motels for a further year. Resource consent was granted for these motels for periods up to 15 December 2025.

About the Community Liaison Group

One of the conditions of the consent was the setup and continuation of a Community Liaison Group (CLG). The purpose of the CLG is set out as follows:

1. To promote effective engagement on an ongoing and regular basis about matters associated with contracted emergency housing
2. To promote the flow of information between usTe Hau ki te Kāinga and the local community so as to, wherever possible, address any issues that may arise
3. To receive with sufficient notice and discuss the results of compliance monitoring contracted emergency housing by the Rotorua Lakes Council and any matters that may arise as a result of the monitoring
4. Discuss any matters arising from the report provided under Condition 28
5. To discuss any feedback on effectiveness of Site Management Plans and conditions
6. To discuss the implementation of the exit strategy for contracted emergency housing until the expiry of the consent.

Community Liaison Group members include representatives from Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development , contracted motel operators, Rotorua Lakes Council, Restore Rotorua, iwi, Te Hau ki te Kāinga, the tourism industry and the community. The tourism industry and community representatives were selected to represent a range of residents, property owners and businesses from the Fairy Springs, Koutu, Fenton Park, Victoria, Glenholme and Whakarewarewa areas.