Stories by Felix Desmarais

Former Blue Baths leaseholder Jo Romanes says it has been hard to step away from the role as the historic building is continuing to decay with no one to advocate for it.

There are 67 'Bears' in Rotorua, but there's no cause for alarm.

The government is expected to sign a housing accord which seeks to "progressively reduce the use of motels for emergency housing in Rotorua to near zero".

Todd McClay wants the government to do an urgent "stocktake" after three government departments and agencies were not able to report the number.

Rotorua volunteer group Friends of the Library is gearing up for a free book give-away.

Some Rotorua district councillors have expressed frustration over waiting for a government ministry to provide work on a definition of emergency housing, which would help the council enforce its…

Rotorua Lakes Council will consider an agreement that could see an end to the widespread use of emergency housing in motels in the city.

Rotorua's mayor has expressed concern a Kāinga Ora submission on a proposed district plan change could lead to six-storey buildings being zoned outside of the inner city.

Twenty-nine car parks removed seven years ago as part of Rotorua's "Green Corridor" cycleway are set to return as a stretch of the cycleway is removed.

A decision to revoke the reserve status of seven Rotorua reserve sites for development has been scrapped by a unanimous vote.

Some motels providing emergency housing in Rotorua have directly targeted potential clients from out of town through social media.

Tania Tapsell has been officially sworn in as Rotorua's mayor, a role she says is the "greatest honour" of her life.

Analysis - Rotorua will be looking to its new mayor Tania Tapsell to find solutions - and fast.

A new tool helps inform would-be travellers about whether a motel is mixed-use or not.

A Rotorua mayoral candidate says the city is "sitting on a precipice" and being "destroyed" by its emergency housing in motels issues and is calling on the government to act immediately.

Trevor Maxwell lined up with his classmates from Ngongotahā Primary School and watched in amazement as Queen Elizabeth II drove through town in a black limousine.

Mayoral candidate Ben Sandford claims recently-released prisoners with "no ties" to Rotorua are being placed in the city's emergency housing motels.

A city "being ripped apart" is how one mayoral candidate has responded to the nationwide exposure of Rotorua's emergency housing crisis.

After nine years, Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick will step away, marking the end of more than 20 years in public life. What is Chadwick's political legacy, and who is the person behind the headlines?

Outgoing Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick has used her casting vote to approve a proposal to re-classify seven reserve sites so they can be sold and developed.

The former leaseholder of Rotorua's 'iconic' Blue Baths says new government advice shows the council could have left the building open while a plan was made for its future.

The wellbeing of people in Rotorua is getting worse by most measures, a new report says. An iwi leader says "you can't put any sugar over this" - but there are ways to address the issues.

Rotorua MP Todd McClay has called on the district council to delay its decision on a controversial proposal to sell 10 reserve sites for housing until after the October local election.

A decision on Rotorua's controversial reserves revocation proposal will echo through generations, elected members have heard.

Rotorua mayoral candidate Tania Tapsell has announced her choice of deputy mayor if both are elected to council in the October local election.