Whakatāne operators at war with council over tourism funding cuts
Photo:
LDR / supplied
Tourism operators across the district are boycotting Whakatāne District Council for cutting funding to Tourism Bay of Plenty.
The Whakatāne council has previously contributed $85,000 annually to the council controlled organisation of Tauranga City and Western Bay District councils.
In response, a group of tourism operators across the district are boycotting all council-led tourism activity. This includes directing that all of their businesses be removed from council websites, that brochures and experiences be removed from the Whakatane i-Site, refusing to participate in promotional campaigns, event partnerships, and famils (familiarisation trips for agents) and calling for a full independent audit of the Whakatāne i-site and council tourism department.
Among the tourism operators supporting the boycott are Tio Ohiwa Harbour Cruises and Oyster Experience owner Wini Geddes, Kohutapu Lodge and Whirinaki Footsteps Nadine Toe Toe, Larni Hepi from Whaitaki, KG Kayaks' Kenny McCracken, Beachpoint Apartments' Alison Stern, One 88 On Commerce's Malcolm Glen, Awakeri Rail Adventures Paul Francis and Takutai Adventure Company's Ollie Dobbin.
Geddes said that more than 44 tourism operators and accommodation providers from around the Eastern Bay of Plenty would be hurt by Whakatāne council withdrawing this funding.
The contribution linked them to domestic and international tourism promotion through Tourism New Zealand and New Zealand Māori Tourism. The boycotters said the $85,000 amounted to 2.8 percent of the council's annual $3 million tourism budget and a mere 0.14 percent of its $59 million total annual operating budget.
Quoting Stats NZ, they said the region received $166 million in visitor spend annually, with approximately $20 million of that from international visitors. More than 10 percent of the workforce in Eastern Bay was through tourism.
Geddes said the decision had been made in public-excluded meetings with no consultation or communication with local tourist operators.
"We've only known about it for a month and the decision was made before Christmas with no consultation with the tourist operators at all."
She said all of Tio Ohiwa's business came through either Tourism Bay of Plenty or support from other Regional Tourism Operators around the country, in particular RotoruaNZ, a CCO of Rotorua Lakes District Council, which Whakatāne council did not pay into.
"In two weeks' time our connection to Tourism New Zealand will be cancelled and [the council] are trying to take it over by themselves."
A response from council chief executive Steven Perdia to a Local Goverment Official Information and Meetings Act request sent by two of the operators, Toe Toe and Hepi, said Whakatāne council had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and funding agreement with Tourism Bay of Plenty in 2014, but since this had expired in 2019 no further MOU had been developed.
The organisations had operated under a Letter of Intent to develop a revised MOU but "since the Whakaari eruption and Covid 19 and the catastrophic effects on the community and visitor economy with several business closures, both organisations have continued to work together in good faith".
He said the council had a strong desire to reduce rates' increases and during last year's long-term plan budget funding was stopped to both economic development agency Toi EDA and Tourism Bay of Plenty.
In a public-excluded section of its living together committee on 6 March this year, the council discussed reviewing the MOU with Tourism Bay of Plenty but to make cost savings decided to bring all tourism-related support in-house.
Perdia told Local Democracy Reporting the matters were discussed in a public-excluded forum because the debate involved commercially sensitive matters, including contracts and funding agreements with third parties.
"Council is trying to make itself a regional transport operator," Geddes said.
"It has got no strategic plan, nothing, and they're expecting us to teach them how to get into the industry."
Among the benefits of being part of Tourism Bay of Plenty was being included in the Bay of Plenty section of the Trenz Expo, New Zealand's biggest tourism trade show.
"We are now taking bookings from China, India and the rest of Asia, Europe and the United States from those expos. Even our accomodation providers. We fill our hotels with tourists coming in.
"[Whakatāne council] can't even get tickets to it."
The council did not respond to questions from the Beacon around how it intended to promote the district to international tourists.
Geddes said some tourism operators had already removed their brochures from the i-site.
Toe Toe said the council shouldn't be making critical decisions in a field they didn't understand.
"Tourism operators were completely left out in the cold around a decision that directly affects our businesses and survival."
Stern, from Beachpoint Apartments, said she felt the decision was very shortsighted and would end up costing the council more in the long run.
"If they don't want to focus on international tourism, then why are they planning to do exactly that - just without the professionals?" she said.
"And how do they think they'll do it better for less than $85,000? This is going to end up costing the ratepayers more, not less."
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Dunedin cafe looks for home gardeners to supply produce
business food 4:24 pm today A Dunedin cafe is looking for keen home gardeners to supply it produce, in a trial backyard to plate project. To begin with Taste Nature hopes to contract four gardeners for 12 months, but would like to continue the scheme longer term. It is all part of the cafe's push to use seasonal produce and know exactly where the ingredients come from. Home gardeners will be paid for what they grow. Managing Director of Taste Nature, Clinton Chambers spoke to Lisa Owen.
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Future of Nelson Provincial Museum's new storage facility uncertain
Nelson Provincial Museum. Photo: Supplied / Nelson Provincial Museum The future of Nelson Provincial Museum's long-awaited archive storage facility is uncertain after Nelson City Council agreed to publicly consult on whether to spend $3 million it already allocated to the project, now it's no longer in the central city. The Tasman Bays Heritage Trust requested support from the Nelson City and Tasman District councils in 2018 to develop a new archives, research and collections facility after it's existing building was deemed not fit for purpose. The museum's current research facility in Isel Park opened in 1973 and chief executive Lucinda Jimson said its $20 million collection was under threat every time it rained , with the entire building in a "pretty dire" state. The original plan for a new archive facility in the central city - adjacent to the museum - was ditched after costs rose from $12m to $15m. The trust is now proposing a new build in Richmond, Tasman, at a cost of $9.8m. "When the government announced last year that the Ministry of Culture and Heritage was no longer funding capital projects, there was no way that we could afford the $14.9 million price tag," Jimson said. Tasman Bays Heritage Trust went back to the drawing board and considered eight options, with the preferred option a new build in Richmond due to the lower construction costs, greater space efficiency from a single-storey design, along with savings on heating, ventilation and air conditioning. When the business case was first put forward for a new facility in 2018, both councils committed around $3m in funding to the project. Jimson said Tasman District Council had confirmed its commitment of $3.1m, while Nelson City Council said it needed to seek feedback from the public on the $3.04m it had allocated due to the change from the initial proposal. In the Isel Park building, plastic wrap and buckets are used to protect the collections in bad weather, with litres of water leaking through the roof during the recent storms. "It's not just the roof that is the issue, the whole building is compromised," Jimson said. "It doesn't fit our collection now, it's got asbestos, it's got wiring issues, the cinder block construction lets a lot of damp in through the walls and through the concrete floor, we have salts growing on those blocks in our collection. "We try and keep decent humidity and temperature, which is so vital to care for museum collections, by having a huge range of dehumidifiers everywhere." The museum's Nelson-Tasman regional collection has been independently valued at $20m and is thought to be one of the most significant in the country. It is made up of about 200,000 objects, 1.2m photographs and 150,000 original, rare and one-off paper documents. The collection also includes the UNESCO-inscribed Tyree Studio photographic collection, a range of Taonga Māori objects including a portrait of Atama Paparangi by Charles Goldie, fine art and personal diaries including one from a soldier in Gallipoli. A recent independent building assessment reinforced that the building could not be made fit for purpose, "in very black and white terms". "Some of the collections that we have here are of international significance, these collections are of national significance, we can't afford to lose them." Nelson City Council wants to hear feedback from the community on the $3m contribution before August 29, with a decision to be made at a council meeting on September 4. It said consultation was required because the revised project had changed and it was no longer in the central city. The trust had requested a decision on the funding by the end of September in order to purchase the land and secure a fixed price contract for the build. Nelson Mayor Nick Smith says he does not support the $9.8m archive facility in Richmond at a time when ratepayers are struggling. Photo: Max Frethey / LDR On Facebook, Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said he did not support the $9.8m archive facility in Richmond at a time when ratepayers were struggling and councils were facing millions in storm repair costs. He said the trust was putting the council under "unreasonable pressure" in seeking approval so quickly, ahead of the local body elections. "This revised project does nothing for [the] revitalisation of the city centre." Smith said re-roofing and refurbishing the existing Isel Park facility was a far more cost-effective way of safeguarding the museum's collection. Tasman Bays Heritage Trust chair Venus Guy said the trust had done its due diligence in exploring different options, once it became clear the central city facility would not be cost effective. "We really had to pivot when we didn't have enough funds from central government and we had a shortfall of $7m... we looked at our purpose, which was the safety of our collection." She said it was frustrating to be re-discussing $3m in funding already allocated by the Nelson City Council in its 2018 long term plan. "I think we're letting everyone down, we're letting our staff down, we're letting our volunteers down, it's disappointing that seven years later we're still talking about the same problem and same challenges. "We have done a lot of work with our potential commercial partners in order to save ratepayers money and save this collection." Nelson MP Rachel Boyack. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Nelson MP Rachel Boyack said the proposal for a new build in Richmond was sensible, less costly than the original plan and wouldn't require any additional funding from ratepayers, while ensuring local heritage could be saved. "It is critical that a new facility is built as soon as possible, as the current facility at Isel Park in Stoke is cramped, leaky and prone to flooding. "This is an essential piece of regional infrastructure." Feedback closes at midday on August 29 and will be considered by elected members, with a decision to be made at a council meeting on September 4. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Café fights street flag ban
Coffee on Queen owner Matt Redwood says not displaying his flag would cost him up to $300 in lost sales each day. Photo: LDR / Max Frethey A Richmond retailer says rules banning advertising flags from the street would cut his revenue by hundreds of dollars. Coffee on Queen owner Matt Redwood said his flag was "essential" to his business. "At the moment, 90 percent of our customers that I've asked how they know we're open, they go: 'we see the flag'." The Queen Street café opens at 4.30am, and putting the flag on the edge of the footpath brings in about $200-300 a day, he estimated, and ensured the employment of up to four workers. However, Tasman District Council's new bylaw for public places, adopted in November 2024, bans their use. Last week, Redwood presented to the council about the flags' importance to local businesses and said he was supported by around 20 other retailers. He said the council should have been more deliberate in its consultation with local businesses and sent a staff member down Richmond's main street talking to them in person. "We appreciate that we do get emails sent out, but talking to a lot of businesses, a lot of them blend into each other - these emails. We haven't got enough time in a day." Retailers are now limited to just one display, which must be a sandwich board, that must be placed against the kerb to leave 1.8 metres of unobstructed footpath. However, the signs were often made "null and void" the moment a car parked beside them. "It's worrying me big time, and it worries a lot of businesses… we are losing money every day if we don't promote ourselves," Redwood said. "I believe that if we keep bringing these little laws in, with not having flags, not trying to promote businesses, [not] trying to make the place look vibrant, we will become Nelson - a dead city." New rules require sandwich boards to be placed against the kerb rather than the storefront to increase accessibility for the blind and low vision community. Photo: LDR / Max Frethey Raymond Griffith, chair of business association Richmond Unlimited, said it was "unfortunate" that the council was enforcing the flag rules when the country is seeing a "sharp rise" in the closure of retail and hospitality businesses. "When considered in the context of their locations and surrounding street furniture, it's understandable that business owners question the need for these flags' removal," he said. "Richmond Unlimited is committed to working constructively with the council to find a solution that allows our members to promote their businesses while also addressing any perceived safety concerns for vulnerable members of the public." A Tasman District council spokesperson did not confirm if it was engaging with Richmond businesses on the issue, but said that disability advocacy was a theme of its early engagement and consultation on the bylaw. "While the Blind Low Vision Community had a preference for no signs - either sandwich boards or flags - it was indicated that flags were the most disruptive form of advertising due to their movement." Richmond Unlimited chair Raymond Griffith thought it was "unfortunate" the council was enforcing its bylaw on advertising flags. Photo: LDR / Tessa Claus Indeed, Kaye Halkett, one of the three presenters to the hearing panel that was considering the bylaw while it was a draft, said flags were "the worst" form of retail display. "They flutter around in your field of vision ... navigating in this sort of environment is absolutely exhausting. It plays havoc on the brain," she told the council in September 2024. The council received 35 submissions on its draft bylaw, and 27 submitters gave their preference on the retail display rules that had been proposed. Fifteen submitters agreed with the proposed rules while 11 disagreed. One had no opinion. Council staff commentary about the written responses supplied also said that many of those who disagreed with the rules wanted all retail displays banned. Non-compliant retailers displaying a flag risked a $500 fine, though the council said it prioritised working alongside the community to support compliance before undertaking enforcement action. The bylaw will be reviewed in four years. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
