Te Kūiti Holiday Park closes after running at $30k loss each year
Photo:
Waitomo District Council
After six unsuccessful years, Waitomo District Council is calling time on the Te Kūiti Holiday Park, which will close on Monday.
Council chief executive Ben Smit said the holiday park, which was built before he started at the council, was an unusual asset for a council to own.
However, Waitomo owns two - it also owns and operates the Marokopa Holiday Park.
Te Kūiti Holiday Park opened in April 2019 and Smit said it only ever attracted around 200 to 250 visitors a year and never covered costs.
"It never really had a heyday," he said.
The facility cost about $45,000 a year to maintain and operate, and only raised revenue of around $13,000, meaning ratepayers in the small King Country town were subsidising the facility by about $30,000 a year.
The decision to close the facility was determined at Waitomo District Council's monthly council meeting on 27 May.
Shortly after the decision, Mayor John Robertson posted online that the decision was an example of council acting decisively.
"The Te Kūiti Holiday Park has been a drain on rates ever since it opened in December 2018.
"Hardly used for the purpose it was built, sometimes used inappropriately, it cost a packet to build and has been consuming over $30,000 per annum of ratepayer money to operate," he said.
He didn't think the council should be running holiday parks and posted the council was hoping to lease the coastal Marokopa Holiday Park out to a suitable operator.
Smit said the district served freedom campers well, which might be part of why the holiday park was under-utilised.
"[Several locations offer] a really good environment for campers to stay, so there's no real drive for them to use the Te Kūiti Holiday Park."
In a statement the council said the motorhome dump station near the holiday park would remain operational.
It also said planning was underway to relocate the Te Kūiti bathroom and kitchen facilities to the Marokopa Holiday Park to replace ageing facilities there.
Other assets from the closed holiday park would be repurposed elsewhere.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Storm damage closes Tasman's Great Taste biking trail until further notice
The Wai-iti River after flooding in the Tasman region in June 2025. Photo: Samantha Gee / RNZ Tasman's Great Taste biking trail has suffered more than $2 million of damage due to flooding and slips from the extreme weather in Nelson-Tasman. The Nelson Tasman Cycle Trails Trust said sections of the trail had been reopened since the first deluge in June , but now those sections have been impacted again following Friday's flooding. "We are dealing with multiple weather events in close succession, which is making it extremely difficult to fully assess the state of the trail, let alone begin repairs in some areas," said trail manager Belinda Crisp. "Safety and access are our top priorities, and in many places the trail is currently unsafe or inaccessible due to slips, flooding, windfall, roading closures and structural issues." The 200 kilometre trail has been closed until further notice as bridges have been washed away , but work is underway to open the safe parts of the path. "There are parts of the trail that have been washed away, and rebuilding them in the same spot may no longer be viable," said Crisp. Crisp said the trail is a lifeline for the local economy, bringing in $34m annually, with many small businesses relying on visitors who come and ride the trail. The trust is currently preparing cost estimates for repair and reconstruction. "We are fortunate that a national fund exists through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to support cycle trail recovery after extreme weather events," said trust chair Gillian Wratt. "However, it's still too early to know whether that funding will cover the full cost of the necessary work. "We know how important the trail is to the region - particularly for small and medium tourism-related businesses - and we are committed to having as much of the trail as possible operational by summer. "That said, some sections will require time due to engineering challenges, consenting, or access renegotiations," Wratt said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
NZ PM to be a no-show at the Cook Islands 60th celebrations
It's been confirmed New Zealand's prime minister Christopher Luxon will not be travelling to the Cook Islands for its 60th Constitution celebrations next month.
RNZ News
20 hours ago
- RNZ News
Millions of NZ's most precious historic documents to be moved
history media 27 minutes ago The huge task of moving millions of New Zealand's most precious documents to their new home begins in Wellington this week. Archives New Zealand is moving just across the road from its current location in Mulgrave street to Heke Rua, which is linked to the national library. It's a building which cost $290 million and has been eight years in the making. Chief archivist Anahere Morehu spoke to Melissa Chan-Green about how the prized pieces of history will be transported safely.
