Ratepayers wanted us to focus on our core functions - so we’re dropping our funding of Hawke’s Bay Tourism

Ratepayer funding for Hawke’s Bay Tourism was always intended to be for a finite period, Hinewai Ormsby says.

THREE KEY FACTS

- Hawke’s Bay Regional Council once funded HB Tourism to the tune of $1.5 million a year.

- This has been scaled back in 2024/25 and will be dropped altogether in 2025/26

- Hawke’s Bay Tourism is now facing the possibility of a shutdown unless it is saved by other forms of funding.

After more than 20 years and over $20 million provided to the tourism sector in Hawke’s Bay, the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council by necessity has had to shift ratepayer funding to more urgent regional economic priorities.

As regional council chair, I want to make it clear that ratepayer funding for Hawke’s Bay Tourism was always intended to be for a finite period. The Hawke’s Bay Tourism board has been fully aware of the need for the tourism sector to eventually stand on its own, without ratepayer support.

My understanding is that the tourism sector has responded well to the challenge of funding its own marketing efforts. Hawke’s Bay Tourism members are providing over half a million dollars to their sector organisation.

Local councils and the likes of the Art Deco Trust, Horse of the Year, Toi Toi and other event structures have highly developed in-house marketing expertise, ready to step in to ensure Hawke’s Bay gets its share of the tourism market.

Cyclone Gabrielle has changed everything. Some of the region’s key industries are facing huge challenges post cyclone. The regional council’s most immediate task is now on flood resilience. Protecting people’s lives, homes, and their livelihoods from the threat of floods is the new imperative.

Our focus is on strengthening the foundations of our economy. These foundations include ensuring the region’s natural resources are well managed and that we have sufficient water for our water-intense industries.

The decision to shift limited resources onto the regional council’s core functions reflects what our ratepayers have told us they want.

Councillor Sophie Siers, the regional council’s appointed director, says the huge successes that Hawke’s Bay Tourism has achieved over the last 10 years is evidence of the quality of staff and leadership within the organisation.

We have a highly creative board; we will need to be innovative and nimble to work with the funding we do receive. We recognise that destination and visitor marketing remains an important part of the region’s economic growth.

Cr Siers said local councils in our region are doing a great job of promoting their areas and it makes sense for us to work closely together, pooling resources and efforts to achieve the best outcomes for all.

By consolidating resources and efforts, we can ensure we deliver the best results without duplicating services or adding costs. In these lean times, it’s vital that we focus on efficiencies on behalf of ratepayers.

We are committed to making every dollar count, and working together with the district and city councils to streamline operations for the benefit of our ratepayers is key.