1. Welcome from Mayor Kevin Winters
Kia ora tatou,
I extend my appreciation to those organisations that have joined us in the trail blazing Rotorua Partner Programme. It is an exciting venture that will help the Rotorua community travel a path to widespread recognition as one of this country’s very best places to live, to work and to visit.
Your support and vision is commendable. Your reward will be to share in the success and prosperity of a very special part of New Zealand – Rotorua District. On behalf of the people of Rotorua, and the Rotorua District Council, I extend my sincerest thanks and our congratulations to you on making such a significant commitment to this community. We welcome these very important partnerships.
Kevin Winters
Mayor
2. Background:
The Rotorua Partner Programme was formally established in 2005 to recognise significant contributions from corporate and other organisations, aimed primarily at developing projects for the good of the wider Rotorua community, in partnership with Rotorua District Council.
It comprises three categories of partners:
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Project Partner
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Corporate Partner |
Foundation Partner |
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Our current list of Rotorua Partners, information about their own activities and how to contact them directly, is set out on our Partners’ page of this website
The Rotorua Partners’ Programme is based on corporate and community philanthropy. Its intent is twofold:
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to provide an opportunity for corporates and other organisations to contribute towards community projects, and for Rotorua District Council to appropriately acknowledge that support
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to foster the best possible communication and working relationship between the council and each partner organisation.
Note: The Rotorua partners’ Programme has no bearing on the council’s regulatory, purchasing and decision making processes. These processes are totally independent of the Partners’ Programme.
What is the Rotorua Partners’ Programme?
The Rotorua Partner Programme, simply put, is about the Council partnering with other important Rotorua stakeholders to get things done. Our Partners want to be part of the Rotorua vision for the future.
Council is never going to be able to fund all the things that a growing district needs and in the timeframe needed, without huge impacts on ratepayers.
However there are many important district stakeholders who have the means, community sprit and desire to get involved in some way in Rotorua’s development.
The Rotorua Partner Programme matches partnering organisations (our Partners) to projects and other opportunities they want to be associated with.
What the Rotorua Partner Programme is not
Rotorua Partners do not enter into a partnership with the council and then receive special favours on contracts that the council tenders, on council purchasing or on any other council decisions.
Partners are not contributing money and other support that would otherwise have gone to voluntary organisations and other causes.
They are contributing because they want to be a part of the future of Rotorua and because it makes good business sense for them to do so. They are making an investment in the future, for all of Rotorua’s citizens.
Already there are a number of organisations who have made the commitment and others who intend doing so. Some of these discussions are still at sensitive stages and we will announce them when agreements are finalised in due course.
So far more than $20m in philanthropic support has been confirmed from our Rotorua Partners, for the next few years.
Major projects include the Energy Events Centre, the Rotorua Museum Centennial Project, the Rotorua Regional Airport, the Rotorua Public Library expansion, Civic Theatre stage house upgrade and the redevelopment of the Rotorua Lakefront.