Featured Links

Hows Rotorua Doing?

In 2003, Rotorua District Council initiated the ‘Bright Future Rotorua’ community planning process.  Through consultation, a safe and caring community was found to be the most important outcome for Rotorua residents, followed by health, prosperity and respect for the environment.  This was confirmed through further consultation during 2008. 

Progress Report

Latest monitoring shows that Rotorua District is doing well on a number of fronts including:

• Improvements in various health indicators, including a long-term increase in life expectancy, reduced rates of heart disease (though still above the national standardised rate), reduced rate of low birth weight babies per 1,000 live births and reduced rate of avoidable hospitalisations per 100,000 population.  These improvements are supported by local measures such as smoke-free facilities in Rotorua’s urban areas.
• Recent drop in the rate of early school leaver exemptions.
• Reduced rates of school stand-downs and suspensions.
• Increased levels of educational attainment.
• Declining crime levels, though still above the national average.
• Long-term increases in community economic growth, including support for the development of Māori land.
• Substantial long-term reduction in levels of unemployment.
• Increasing support for migrants.
• Improving access for people with disabilities.
• Falling levels of waste to landfill per capita.
• Various measures to improve lakes water quality over the longer term, including protection of lake and stream margins and sewerage reticulation for lakeside settlements.
• Improvements to drinking water supply risk gradings, as assessed by the Ministry of Health.
• A relatively high and increasing rate of residents who speak Te Reo Māori.
• Increasing number of community and major events in Rotorua.

Areas we are not doing well include:

• Housing became substantially less affordable over the period 2002/03 to 2006/07, although it has subsequently returned to 2004 levels (likely due to the effects of the economic recession).
• Home ownership rates have been declining since at least the early 1990s.
• Increased numbers of annual road traffic crashes and casualties (mostly minor) since the year 2000 due to issues such as poor observation, speeding, failure to give way and drink driving.
• Relatively high levels of reported criminal offending, despite improvements.
• Relatively poor perceptions of community safety and community spirit by local residents compared to other areas.
• Rates of cigarette smoking remain above the national average, despite a continuing decline.
• Poor oral health, with an average of 2.20 decayed, missing and filled teeth for 12-year olds compared to 1.42 for the national average.
• Continuing algal blooms on lakes Rotoehu, Rotoiti, Rotorua and Okaro.
• Increasing energy consumption and associated emissions of greenhouse gases.
• A recent drop in visitor numbers and other economic indicators as a result of the national recession.  One indirect measure of this has been a recent drop in recycling volumes due to lower levels of construction activity and hence less concrete being recycled.

Planning is ongoing by a range of agencies to address these and other issues.

Rotorua Community Outcomes Report

The 2010 monitoring report can be downloaded below in pdf format.  Click here if you do not have Acrobat Reader.  

1. Executive summary
2. Introduction.pdf
3. Bright Future Rotorua.pdf
4. Rotorua's community outcomes.pdf
5. Monitoring and reporting community outcomes.pdf
6. Indicators and measures.pdf
7. Circles of well-being.pdf
8. Summary of states and trends.pdf
9. Data analysis.pdf
10. A safe and caring community.pdf
11. A community that respects its environment.pdf
12. A healthy community.pdf
13. A prosperous community.pdf
14. A community with excellent facilities and services.pdf
15. A community that values its living Maori culture.pdf
16. A learning community.pdf
17. A 'happening' community.pdf
18. Where to from here.pdf

Rotorua Community Outcomes Data Analysis Report 2010 - Full Document.pdf

Rotorua Community Outcomes Data Analysis Report 2007 - Full Document.pdf

Further Information

Corporate Planning and Support
Rotorua District Council
Private Bag 3029
ROTORUA
Ph 07 348 4199
E-mail info@rdc.govt.nz