Funding approved for Whangamatā Information Centre

Whangamatā Information Centre employee Graeme Smith has a concept plan for a rejuvenated town square.

Whangamatā Information Centre will remain under current management following a successful application process.

The Whangamatā Community Board voted to approve an expression of interest from Whangamatā Information Centre Incorporated Society to operate the centre on Port Rd at a meeting on Tuesday.

The current rate of funding of $54,160 for 2024/25, $55,322 in 25/26 and $56,538 in 26/27 as per the 2024-2034 long-term plan was accepted with the current key performance indicators to be retained for the funding contract.

The contract for the Whangamatā Information Centre expired on June 30 and at its June 27 meeting, Thames-Coromandel Council approved an extension of operations to the existing service provider for three months.

Expressions of interest were advertised in April for funding of the centre and one response was received from the current operator, Dianna Smith.

Board member Neil Evans said there had been discussion about additional funding and questioned if it was feasible to continue.

“It seems a bit daft if you offer a contract and the funds are not available; then we have to start the process again.”

Board member and deputy mayor Terry Walker said he would continue lobbying the council for further funding for the information centre.

Information centre employee Graeme Smith is behind the drive to give the town square a new breath of life.

Walker said the information centre was a key asset for the town.

He said the board would reconvene in September to discuss the matter after it requested the council look at retained earnings and weigh up the balance with discretionary funding.

Information centres are run on a combination of council (funding through meeting the service level agreement criteria) and in some cases retail sales, booking commissions, memberships and marketing materials from providers who pay to have their marketing materials at the facilities.

Thames-Coromandel District Council funding for information centres across the district.

In her expression of interest letter, Smith said the centre had three paid employees and had been operating for roughly two and a half years.

The structure of having three paid employees had proven to be successful. It consisted of chairman Graeme Smith, also an employee; treasurer and local accountant Karyn Baker; and manager/secretary Dianna Smith.

“We also have members of the society that attend meetings; our society consists of business owners, great communicators and personnel that have had experiences with not-for-profit organisations, but also businesses including hospitality.

“Our Initiatives extend to such things as, supporting local charities and not for profit organisations and ways we can collaborate, developing a Town Square (next to the Information Centre) where residents, holidaymakers and tourists can socialise, rest and plan their adventures in the Coromandel.

“We believe the Whangamatā Information Centre continues to become bigger and better as we follow through with our planned initiatives. We look forward to developing more strategies to achieve these initiatives by forward planning, creating goals and surveying.”