Latest news with #TourismWaitaki
Otago Daily Times
28-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Manager's focus to return to science
The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony is set for redevelopment. PHOTO: ALLIED PRESS FILES A staffing restructure at Tourism Waitaki could have national impacts in advancing penguin science, the regional tourism organisation says. Speaking at this week's Waitaki District Council meeting, Tourism Waitaki chairman Mike McElhinney revealed the Tourism Waitaki board was in the process of recruiting for two new roles, which would free up Blue Penguin Colony general manager Dr Philippa Agnew to return to more scientific study. "It's fair to say that three years in a holding pattern just with awaiting direction and we've had to say that Dr Philippa can't sustain the workload that's put on her and we can't deliver the expectations of the Letter of Intent and expect her to undertake to do that, Mr McElhinney said. "Therefore, the board has taken the initiative to do a restructure model; we shared that with our stakeholders at the stakeholder meeting recently." Dr Agnew, previously the organisation's only paid employee, said the move was welcome. "We're bringing other management positions into line so that we can share the load. It means that I can progress a lot of that science work, like I was doing before, because we've got some really interesting things happening and we can lead the science because we've got a lot of really important data that we can use to support little penguin populations around the country." Dr Agnew had recently hosted the biannual Penguin Symposium that drew about 100 penguin experts from around New Zealand to Oamaru. Mr McElhinney said the Little Blue Penguin Colony side of Tourism Waitaki's business was doing well. "A lot of positive things are happening at the penguin colony in terms of the redevelopment projects that we've got on the way there. Visitation numbers are back to pre-Covid days, which is absolutely outstanding. "The website has been developed and then the internal part of the building has been developed to enhance the daytime experience with the idea of being to attract more visitors during the daytime and allowing us to monetise that part of the business. "The other big areas that we're working on in the colony is the new stand, which we've gone out to tender with. "It's been an interesting market in terms of tourists coming into the region. We're ahead of the national average. Tourism has been down nationally about 33%, 38% and that's tourist numbers and revenue." Waitaki was about 7% up on pre-Covid levels, Mr McElhinney said. "So, we're ahead of the national average, which is a reflection of good work that Tourism Waitaki has been doing in the external market and that's where we play most of all, outside the region and attracting people."
Otago Daily Times
21-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Steampunk Festival gets $10k boost to support growth
PHOTO: ODT FILES Promotion of Oamaru's Steampunk Festival has been given a $10,000 boost to bring in more people. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment manager of investment management performance David Talbot said to receive funding, the funding was assessed against the likelihood of the event being able to attract more out-of-region visitors and additional multi-day visitors, as well as it being able to deliver economic impact for visitors in the host region. "The Steampunk Festival is going from strength to strength each year, bringing hundreds of visitors from outside the district for the long weekend," Tourism Waitaki general manager Philippa Agnew said. "Events such as the Steampunk Festival give the industry a boost during the quiet season." Funding, awarded to Tourism Waitaki, comes from the government's Regional Event Fund. "Investing in these events has a direct impact, with visitors spending money in local cafes, businesses and accommodation providers, driving economic activity in our communities," Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said in a statement. "By growing regional tourism, our remote and rural communities can benefit from the economic opportunities it brings. "Events are excellent drawcards to get more visitors into our regions, particularly in quieter parts of the year for the tourism and hospitality sector. "New Zealand is open for business, and we encourage both Kiwis and international visitors alike to explore and enjoy what New Zealand has to offer." This year's festival, held over King's Birthday weekend sold a record 1723 tickets to paid events and attracted hundreds more who came to watch free community events.
Otago Daily Times
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Festival volunteers running out of steam
Goggle-festooned top hats, leather corsets and ray guns may have had their last hurrah in the steampunk capital of New Zealand. The volunteers behind Oamaru's five-day Steampunk NZ Festival say they are running out of steam and, without reinforcements, its 16th iteration this month could have been its last. Steampunk NZ Festival organising committee member Carolyn Lewis said the growing popularity of the festival was evident when talking to crowds in Oamaru's Victorian Precinct at the main parade event, held over King's Birthday Weekend, because many first-timers said they had already booked accommodation to come back as full participants next year. "I'm left thinking, we're going to need a bigger precinct. "We're looking at an event which, year-on-year, is getting bigger — 50% more ticket holders this time, not counting the extra people coming to watch, most of whom are from out of town — and a very small core group that actually makes it happen. "We're all getting old and broken. We're getting to that point when we have to sort of work out how it's sustainable going forward. "It's two very different things. We've got ticketed events which pay for everything else and then we've got free community events — and that's what costs us. "It's a big job in the setup and a situation where only people who can take two weeks off work beforehand can do it. "I don't think people realise how much is out-of-towners coming here, putting the money into the town on the backs of a very few local people who are doing hard yards." The event does not receive any outside funding from the government or the Waitaki District Council. The funding that is sometimes labelled for the Steampunk Festival is usually only for promotion, most recently a $10,000 government grant to Tourism Waitaki to promote it. "It doesn't help us at all," Ms Lewis said. "It's like inviting folks to dinner and expecting someone else to feed them." Festival chairwoman Lea Campbell said organising the event was getting more complex and tiring. "Because we do everything. "We do the admin, and the planning, and the making, and the doing, and the setting up, and we take the tickets, and some of us get up on stage as well, and then we pack down and we clean up afterwards. "We're now one week post-festival and we're still packing up and we ache. "I can't do next year the same way." The festival has also outgrown its storage and workshop underneath an Oamaru funeral home, and a permanent steampunk exhibition space is on the wish list. The festival's website now features a "come help" message for Oamaru residents.
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Festival mixes spectacle of circus with time travel
PHOTO: ODT FILES Oamaru's annual Steampunk Festival goes back in time this weekend, boosting the town's tourism appeal in the process. SteampunkNZ Festival organising committee member Carolyn Lewis says this year's "Circus in Time" theme combines flamboyance and the spectacle of the circus with adventures in time. "Time travel is an iconic Steampunk theme. The Victorian Era is a key time period for Steampunk fans, and the Victorians absolutely loved a circus — it was an accessible form of entertainment, with the sideshows and associated activities being hugely popular across all classes. "Most of the tickets sold thus far for this year's festival have gone to out-of-towners, including a good chunk of North Island folk. We also have overseas visitors from Australia and the US." The Heritage Precinct in Oamaru is a major factor in the success of the festival, she said. The five-day festival began yesterday and continues over the King's Birthday weekend to Monday. Tourism Waitaki consumer and trade marketing manager Jade Harvey says the town is generally booked out, with cafes busy and motels full. "Accommodation is usually fully or almost booked out on Steampunk weekend with approximately 90% of attendees visiting from outside of Waitaki with the post-event survey showing that 80% stay for three nights or more. "Although the festival is concentrated in Oamaru, the majority of attendees are from out of town and are choosing to stay for most, if not all, of the long weekend." — APL
Otago Daily Times
03-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Tourism faces drastic funding cut
Waitaki tourism funding is likely to be slashed by the district council as it trims budgets in the face of a potential double-digit rate rise — throwing the Unesco-accredited Waitaki Whitestone Geopark's future funding in doubt. The Waitaki District Council approved its draft 2025-34 Long Term Plan (LTP) in early February. It subsequently attracted "a record" 650 submissions between February 4 and March 3. However, the original draft proposals would have meant an average 10% rate hike for most ratepayers — and some Ahuriri Ward rural ratepayers were facing a projected 24% rates increase. Now, council staff have been tasked by councillors with finding ways to pare down the LTP's proposed budget allocations to ease the burden on ratepayers. At a council workshop on Monday the mayor and councillors were told a review of 16 in-house digital services projects had now resulted in a more realistic budget. This would see a $5.6million forecast spending slashed from the LTP over the next nine years. To do that, staff had removed $2.2m forecast for the Pathway to Progress project, $1.5m forecast for digitisation property trials and eliminated five projects completely — removing a further $1.9m of forecast spending on digital services projects initially projected through the LTP budget. At the workshop, councillors directed staff to decline $500,000 in funding for tourism promotion. Councillors suggested staff ask the regional tourism promotion team where it could spend funding of just $455,000 over three years. Councillors declined to go along with Tourism Waitaki's suggestion a reduction in funds should be from the Waitaki Business Park and Waitaki Whitestone Geopark. Mayor Gary Kircher recognised the "brutal and tough" nature of leaving the decision of allocating the money to Tourism Waitaki alone. The Whitestone Geopark, Oamaru and Waitaki Visitor Centre, general tourism promotion and the Waitaki Business Park were all in need of funding. Councillors were divided on funding for the Geopark — which requires $200,000 per year for the next three years. Cr John McCone was not a fan of subsidising tourism. "I say this for the simple reason this is a private enterprise. "It's about tourism, which only brings in 4% of the GDP in the district, as opposed to 45%-50% of the primary industries. "I don't see anyone in that business putting their hands in the pocket to actually help support it," he said. Cr Tim Blackler said he disagreed. "I think anyone that thinks the purpose of the Geopark is just solely to deliver tourism [has missed] what the purpose of the Geopark is. "We've really got to familiarise ourselves with what it's meant to represent and in fact what they actually are achieving out in the community at the moment." Other potential LTP savings could be forthcoming after councillors declined to spend a penny on a new $400,000 toilet strategy. The workshop also directed staff to look at removing $17,000 a year for the Gardens Aviaries by 2027. Mr Kircher said given the state of the current aviaries, "it's probably done". Councillors were in agreement, with Cr Jim Hopkins summing up the feeling: "It's a substandard facility." "It is not what one would establish as an aviary if you were building it new," he said. "I think there is an element of cruelty in keeping those birds here, even though they're probably acclimatised." Cr Hopkins said it "warrants us closing it", as attitudes and standards of animal welfare had changed.
