Ohakune future team formed

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 434, 28 April 1992, Page 1

Ohakune future team formed

OHAKUNE NOWHAS a Project Team, who's aim will be to help promote economic growth in the town. Following the recent planning evening, instigated by the Ruapehu South Business Association and steered by Community Employment Development Unit co-ordinator Gary Towler, a meeting was held last Thursday to set up a group to look at ways to improve Ohakune. After some discussion the group of about twenty people present agreed to form one project team. A local coordinator, Anjii Zimmerman, was appointed to steer the group through the first few meetings. A more formal structure, with

secretary and chairman, could be set up later when necessary, the group decided. Garry told the group about how other towns which have taken on the economic renewal programme have structured their groups. He said some have adopted very informal. structures while others, such as Whitianga, have organised themselves into a formal structure. Team member Errol Vincent asked which group had been the most successful, suggesting Ohakune's group should model themselves on that town's structure. Garry said Whitianga's group had achieved the most, but that while it now had a quite formal structure necessary to manage

some quite large projects handling significant amounts of money, it had initially been fairly informal. Garry said the group should work initially on small, short term achievable projects, to gain the town's support.

"If you start with a project like the conference centre and sports facilities, you will soon run out of steam and loose support," he said. "In five years' time people will still be saying 'when is something going to happen'."

"It's better to build on successes with smaller projects." The team decided to meet at the Hobbit, with the next meeting Thursday, 30 April, to discuss the first project. The Project Team conTurnpage2

Future team

From page 1, sists of: Alison Pike, Sue Towler, Vida Whale, Glenys Shepherd, Paul Farrer, Simon Bond, Jayne Haggart, Phil Abel, Peter Berry, Marie Milne, Errol Vincent, David Mcllroy, Rodger Bransgrove, Dianne Mackay-Wood, Robert Horne, Garry Tansey, Dennis Beytagh, Phil Jackson, Rob Milne, Elaine Goldfinch, Graeme Berry. Absent from the meeting, but who had put their names down for the team were: Paul Scarf, Cynthia Dowsett, Jenny Frew, Che Wilson, Harry Cast, Graeme Barry, Pauline Murphy.