$5000 for promotions

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 285, 2 May 1989, Page 3

$5000 for promotions

Rural ward councillors initially seem'ed the stumbling block to tourism promotion funds being made available by the Waimarino District Council, but it was Manganui ward representative Doug Bennett that last week suggested the inclusion of $5000 for tourism promotion in the 1989/90 council estimates.

A Ruapehu South Business Association request for $20,000 for a public relations officer started the ball rolling but the money has yet to be allocatcd to a particular project.

The council has, at this stage, just made provision for the money to be available. In moving that the money be budgeted for, Cr Bennett said he believed some small amount should be pro-

vided for tourism promotion. He suggested $2500 should come from the Ohakune ward, $1500 from the Raetihi ward and $1000 from the rural ward. Ohakune councillor Bruce Thompson said

he agreed with Bennett but moved that Ohakune should contribute $5000. Raetihi Councillor John Compton suggested groups in need of funds should apply to the Hillary Commission for Sport and Recreation. Mayor Garrick Workman agreed that groups are free to apply to the Commission but that he felt the council should be seen to be supporting the promotion of tourism. "We are very much a tourism area," said Workman. "Where would Ohakune be without tourism?" Councillor Ken Summerhays said he personally supported tourism promotion but that "ratepayers are not telling me to spend money on it." "When things are bad that's when you need to spend money to attract people to the area," said Bennett. Summerhays said if a business wasn't running efficiently or there was no snow no amount of promotion would help. The motion to budget for $5000 to be available was carried, with Compton, Punch and Summerhays opposing it.