About Rotorua
- The population of the Rotorua District is about 79,000 of which about 52% are European, 31% Māori and 17% other ethnicities including Pasifika, Asian, Middle Eastern, African, and Latin American.
- People from over 60 different ethnicities attend the events of the Rotorua Multicultural Council.
- A welcoming spirit and manaakitanga (hospitality, kindness) have been part of the character of Rotorua since visitors first started arriving in the 1800s.
- In 2017 Rotorua was officially declared the first city in New Zealand to become bilingual, meaning that both Te Reo Māori and English are seen in road and other signs and in the range of Māori community learning resources.
- The city of Rotorua is nestled in an ancient caldera (volcanic crater) with Lake Rotorua at 300 metres above sea level. There are 16 lakes and three major rivers (Waikato, Kaituna, and Rangitaiki) accessible for public use. Geothermal fields with natural hot pools, spectacular geysers, and boiling mud pools attract visitors from all over the world. Beautiful native and exotic forests surround the city. Maximum temperatures vary between 22 and 26°C in summer and between 10 and 16°C in winter.
- The main economic sectors and employers are forestry and wood processing, tourism, and agriculture. Scion, a government-owned research institute specialising in forestry, wood processing and the environment, employs over 300 science and corporate professionals.
- Rotorua is one of the best places to enjoy a healthy, outdoor lifestyle. The lakes, rivers, forests, farmlands, and geothermal resources in our backyard support some of the most diverse and accessible recreational activities in the country. It is rated as one of the world’s best mountain biking destinations.
- There are almost 50 schools in the Rotorua District, including Rotorua Boys’ High, Rotorua Girls’ High, Rotorua Lakes High, Western Heights High, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu, and New Zealand’s top-performing Catholic school, John Paul College.
- Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology has one of its two main campuses in Rotorua. Certificate, Diploma and Degree programmes are offered, including degrees in Nursing, Social Sciences, and Business Management.