Annual Plan aims to maintain Ruapehu’s momentum

Maintaining Ruapehu’s momentum is the goal of Council’s Annual Plan for the coming financial year (2017-18).

Council is seeking public feedback on five major proposals being to maintain investment into economic development and Visit Ruapehu, funding for township revitalisation and seed funding for eight new public toilets and a park and ride facility in National Park.

Ruapehu Mayor Don Cameron said that as he talked with people around the District the overwhelming feeling was that Ruapehu was on the move and that they wanted to see this maintained.

“In last year’s Annual Plan (2016-17) Council asked Ruapehu communities to allow us to reprioritise some spending to economic development for local digital enablement and support of tourism sector development,” he said.

“The support for this proposal allowed Council to achieve a number of significant outcomes including the unlocking of the first of the tourism co-investment opportunities with government under Accelerate25 and setting up free WIFI in Ohakune, Raetihi and Taumarunui.”

“In addition to these initial successes with Accelerate25 and community digital enablement, Council has made good progress against other longer term strategic and nearer term economic development goals.”

“These included the creation of a new Business Development and Relationship Manager position to help the growth of Ruapehu’s economy, having Ohakune, Raetihi and Taumarunui included in the next stage of the Ultra-Fast Broadband Extension (UFB2) and starting the township revitalisation programme.”

Mayor Cameron said that in this Annual Plan we are asking people to provide Council with the resources to maintain this momentum and ensure that we can go into next year’s Long Term Plan 2018-2028 with the ability to capture and respond to up-coming opportunities as they arise.

“Council feels that the confidence in the economic development direction Council is taking Ruapehu is well founded and that we are seeing positive outcomes across a number of key areas.”

“We would like as many people as possible to get a copy of the Consultation Document and support Council to put Ruapehu in the best possible position to take advantage of the unfolding opportunities that we are creating for ourselves,” he said.

“Council is also holding a series of early evening public meetings in Taumarunui (21 Mar), Raetihi (23 Mar), Ohura (27 Mar), Owhango (28 Mar), Waiouru (3 Apr) and Ohakune (6 Apr) to help inform people about our thinking.”

For more information, people should see Council’s website ruapehudc.govt.nz or call their local Council office.

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