Map push could boost tourism
Residents of a small Marlborough town have hit upon a novel way to have their day in the sun.
A Picton and Marlborough Sounds promotion group wants weather forecaster Metservice to acknowledge Picton in its national forecasts. The town, 30km north of Blenheim, has a population of about 4300.
Picton Marlborough Sounds and Havelock Visitor Economy Steering Group member John Reuhman said the group wanted Picton’s name to be read out on TV and radio station forecasts.
There were 20 cities and towns on the Metservice South Island map at the moment, he said. If added, Picton would not be the smallest. Reefton, with a population of about 1000, was included.
Reuhman said it would take a ‘‘bit of advocacy’’, but if Picton was mentioned on the news ‘‘1000 times a day’’, the town’s reputation would soon spread through social media.
Group member Helen Neighbourcone, who is spearheading the initiative, said more than 1 million people travelled through Picton every year.
She had spoken with the Metservice, and would be having some more conversations with the Marlborough District Council and the Marlborough community to gather more support for the idea.
Plant and Food Research Institute scientist Rob Agnew said he thought Picton would have a ‘‘good case’’ to appear on the Metservice map.
Blenheim’s weather forecast would be ‘‘quite inaccurate’’ because of Picton’s coastal climate. Picton had about double the rainfall of Blenheim, and the weather was more moderate, Agnew said.
Metservice general manager of corporate affairs Jacqui Bridges said she had advised the group to get the district council on board.
Bridges said TV and radio stations using Metservice predictions could pick and choose the locations they wanted to focus on.