Permanent or part-time tourism?

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 7, 19 July 1983, Page 5

Permanent or part-time tourism?

The question of whether Ohakune should be subject to a 6-monthly change of Public Relation Officers under the P.E.P. scheme or be recognised as a special tourist area was raised at last week's monthly meeting of the Ohakune Promotions Association. The meeting, which was held in the home of Association president Mike Wiggins and attended by 16 members of the Association, pointed out that, of the three major ski resort tourist attractions in New Zealand, Mt Ruapehu was one of them. The other two were Mt Hutt and Queenstown. If tourists, with their overseas funds were to continue to be attracted to New Zealand during the winter months something more than the 6-month stop/start P.E.P. scheme was ^fcessary. ^KTie current PRO, Wayne Dashfield, "is doing a great

job and relieving a lot of pressure on the Promotions Association" but, with a 6-month tenure, the whole process is going to have to be repeated twice a year without any continuity, said Mike Wiggins. "Inless than a year we have had three different Public Relations Officers." It was decided to approach John Lowrie, tourist promotions liaison officer for the Wanganui region, with a view to having Mt Ruapehu, with its two major skifields (Turoa and Whakapapa), recognised by the Minister of Tourism Rob Talbot as a special case for the appointment of a permanent P.R.O. On a recent visit to Ohakune John Lowrie had said that he was here to be used and that there were a number of regional development grants available that could answer the present problem.