Tourism reshuffle

Timaru District councillors have voted to move tourism operations back under the wing of Aoraki Development, less than a year after they were moved back in-house.

Speaking at yesterday’s full council meeting, Mayor Nigel Bowen said he felt that a new council offered the chance to have a fresh look at the way tourism operations were handled.

‘‘There’s a lot of crossover between what Aoraki Development does and what Aoraki Tourism does. I think tourism would sit in a subset of economic development,’’ Bowen said.

In November 2018, the council at the time voted to create Aoraki Tourism, a council-run organisation, and employ a full-time senior tourism and events officer.

This came to fruition in July, 2019, and followed a period where the council had contracted part of its tourism promotions out to Experience MidCanterbury for $100,000 per annum.

Prior to the engagement of Experience Mid-Canterbury, tourism promotion had been under the control of Aoraki Development, the council’s economic development agency.

In a report released to Stuff, chief executive Bede Carran says ‘‘as a general proposition Council Controlled Organisations like Aoraki Development have the capability to be more nimble in their delivery of services’’.

‘‘This can be beneficial, particularly for activities like tourism, where external influences can have a swift and large impact on the whole sector.’’

It was likely that Aoraki Development could provide the same levels of service for the same budget as was currently allocated by the council.

Cr Sally Parker said the council had already gone through a long process last year to create Aoraki Tourism, and she was concerned that things were changing again too quickly.

‘‘We got the strategy, and at that time we consulted with stakeholders . . . it seems like we did a lot of groundwork, and managed to produce a strategy which seemed to have some teeth,’’ Parker said.

‘‘I just want to know why we want to change what’s agreed on.’’

Cr Richard Lyon said there had not been enough time to judge the success of the existing model.

Tourism had been both a ‘‘political football’’ and a ‘‘cash cow’’, he said.

‘‘This conversation is possibly premature . . . the inhouse model (for tourism) has the ability for councillors to keep an overview.’’

Cr Allan Booth said the council should follow the model of other councils which had been successful in developing their economy and tourism.

‘‘I’ve always been interested in what’s going on, and it’s become quite clear that the majority of the councils combine their tourism and development under one umbrella,’’ Booth said.

‘‘Events, tourism and economic development have got to be together. It crosses over – those people need to be talking in the same office.’’

Cr Paddy O’Reilly, of Temuka, said the council’s approach to tourism had been ‘‘all over the place’’.

‘‘Our relationship with Aoraki Development is very good. Much as I don’t want it to come out of council . . . tourism would fit well within there.’’

At the end of the debate, Bowen put forward the motion to move Aoraki Tourism under the wing of Aoraki Development. Wills seconded the motion.

The other councillors who voted in favour were: Cr Stu Piddington, Cr Peter Burt, Cr Booth, Cr O’Reilly, Cr Gavin Oliver, and Cr Barbara Gilchrist.

Parker and Lyon voted against the motion.