The Rotorua Mayor says the fight that saw a 15-year-old attacked by three others could've been gang-related.
The 15-year-old girl was assaulted by three other girls she knew outside Rotorua Library on Haupapa Street in the CBD at around 3:35pm on Monday.
Inspector Phil Gillbanks said the girl received moderate injuries and required medical treatment.
It was the second such incident in a week after a 13-year-old was bashed and left drenched in blood in an unprovoked attack last week.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell told AM on Wednesday there are reports the fight involving the 15-year-old could've been gang-related.
"We've had reports that there were certain gang colours being worn. So very unfortunate," she said.
"Look, these girls are incredibly young. Everybody should feel safe in the Rotorua community and alongside the police, the council is doing all we can to ensure that our public spaces are safe spaces for our children."
She told AM co-host Laura Tupou one reason the fights are occurring is because school groups are converging on downtown bus stops at the same time.
"What we also are finding, of course, is there are certain incidents that occurred because we have a number of schools getting dropped off at the bus stop at the same time," she said.
The two fights have prompted Tapsell to call for more police resources and funding from the Government.
The Rotorua District Council is spending $1.8 million a year for inner-city security and the mayor told AM the council is going "above and beyond what we should be" for community safety.
"[This] is why we have called for more police resourcing to ensure that when these incidents occur we can not only prevent them but also to catch them," she said.
"Look, in both cases, I think it's very important information that the offenders were caught very quickly. They were identified using council CCTV cameras and they were apprehended."
She said Rotorua currently doesn't have enough police resources to address the crime rates, which are some of the highest in New Zealand.
"As a Rotorua council we've had to say, look, enough is enough. They [police] can't be there all the time, so we are having to fill that gap," she said.
"That is correct. $1.8 million of local ratepayers money, which is why we asking the Government to come to the table and to support."
She told AM the council is looking at setting up a community safety hub to help prevent crime but also ensure there are social services available for the community.
Tapsell said she sent a plea letter to Police Minister Ginny Andersen on August 25 and was able to talk to her on Tuesday.
"I've just told her that I'm not interested in having to talk about how bad things are. We want solutions, but we do need their help," she said.
"So I discussed the community safety hub that we're looking to set up very quickly here in Rotorua, near that area, to ensure that our community is safe."
Tapsell said Andersen wouldn't commit to providing Rotorua with resources for the community hub but is hopeful she will in the future.
Watch the full interview with Tania Tapsell in the video above.
