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Rotorua District

Key Facts and Figures

Rotorua is located in the central North Island of New Zealand, three hours drive by road from Auckland and 45 minutes from the Bay of Plenty coast. The differentiating features of Rotorua are the volcanic activity, 16 lakes and large tracts of natural landscape throughout the district.

In the early 1990s Rotorua underwent a major upgrade of the landscaping in the central business district and consequently it was judged New Zealand 's most beautiful city in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2006.

A population of 66,000 people reside in the Rotorua district, making it the fourth largest district by population in New Zealand . There are in excess of 27,000 rateable properties in the 270,800 hectare area of Rotorua district. Rotorua's annual GDP is estimated at $2 billion, of which forestry, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture are the major economic contributors.

Rotorua District Council

The Rotorua District Council's mission is to provide excellent leadership and sustainable community services that improve the quality of life for residents and ensure a world-class experience for visitors. Council's functions include the provision of vital infrastructure, land use planning, regulation of environmental health and safety, management of facilities for recreation and culture and the fostering of overall community wellbeing.

Destination Rotorua Economic Development Unit

Destination Rotorua Economic Development, is charged with actively working together with the wider Rotorua business and government community to provide an environment that encourages and stimulates economic growth.

The four main areas of operation are: provision of relevant Rotorua economic and business information, facilitation of business to business interaction, business to government interaction, marketing of the region (as a place to do business, live, work and invest in) and project management of strategic level economic development projects.

Highlights of the economic performance of the Rotorua economy are communicated to interested stakeholders via 'Strictly Business' the official monthly newsletter of Destination Rotorua Economic Development.