Lakeside Locals Threaten Legal Action Over 28-Unit Development ApprovalAugust 03, 2026Lake Rotoiti residents are considering taking Rotorua Lakes Council to the High Court over its decision to approve a papakāinga housing development without public notification. The council says the application did not meet the legal threshold for public notification and it is confident it followed the correct process. Meanwhile, landowners have rejected the residents’ suggestion the project is the first stage of a much larger development. The decision granted land-use consent for 28 papakāinga, or communal housing, units on Whangamoa Trust land opposite Ōtaramarae Marae on Whangamoa Drive. A separate resource consent application to Bay of Plenty Regional Council for associated earthworks, stormwater discharges and wetland modifications was on hold.