{"id":525653,"date":"2026-07-14T13:33:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/525653\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T13:33:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:33:12","slug":"rotoruas-princes-gate-archway-to-be-deconstructed-after-safety-risk-identified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/525653\/","title":{"rendered":"Rotorua\u2019s Prince\u2019s Gate Archway to be deconstructed after safety risk identified"},"content":{"rendered":"
Rotorua Lakes Council group manager of community experience Alex Wilson said public safety was the priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are monitoring forecasts and if high wind warnings are predicted we will close the area off as a precautionary measure,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe structure is not considered unsafe for the public in normal conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the council recognised the importance the archway held in Rotorua\u2019s history and identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, we have a responsibility to act when we are aware of a safety risk.<\/p>\n
The archway was built in 1901 to mark the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, who later became King George V and Queen Mary. <\/p>\n
\u201cIndependent engineering advice confirms the structure can no longer safely remain in place in its current condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
The archway will need to be removed regardless of the long-term solution chosen and removing the existing structure was a necessary first step, Wilson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt allows us to address the immediate safety risk while taking the time to carefully consider the best long-term outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
The council would assess options, taking into account safety, heritage values, costs and deliverability.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will also work closely with others who may be affected by the deconstruction, ensuring they are informed, supported and able to plan for any impacts,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n
The deconstructed elements of the archway would be securely stored while options were assessed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur commitment is to be transparent throughout the process, keep the community informed and work towards an outcome that respects the significance of the site while ensuring it remains safe and sustainable for future generations,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n
The council was consulting with Heritage NZ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rotorua Lakes Council group manager of community experience Alex Wilson said public safety was the priority. \u201cWe are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":525654,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[74,142582,83645,5195,124,260096,6097,2837,75,3685,545,1874,134831,82,111,43,139,69,52589,117099,7192,38715,6302,19554,61,1533,10000],"class_list":["post-525653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-after","tag-archway","tag-assessments","tag-be","tag-could","tag-deconstructed","tag-down","tag-during","tag-engineering","tag-events","tag-extreme","tag-found","tag-gate","tag-identified","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-pose","tag-princes","tag-risk","tag-rotoruas","tag-safety","tag-taken","tag-to","tag-will","tag-wind"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=525653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525653\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/525654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=525653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=525653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=525653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}