Businessman Volunteers To Shape Kaikōura’s Future

Tuesday, 18 March 2025, 8:23 pm
Article: David Hill - Local Democracy Reporter

When Tim Blake moved to Kaikōura a year ago, he was keen to do something to support the town where he always loved to holiday.

Mr Blake’s 40-year business career took him around the world, including roles with KPMG, the Crusaders and the Lyttelton Port Company.

Now he is helping Kaikōura plan for the future, offering his expertise on a voluntary basis to assist the Kaikōura District Council as it begins work on an economic development strategy.

‘‘Kaikōura has so much potential, but it is about how we can nurture that potential and grow in a sustainable way,’’ Mr Blake said.

‘‘I have been coming here on holiday for more than 20 years and when I look at what has been achieved, it is quite amazing."

Now, he's looking at what the next 25 to 50 years will look like.

Kaikōura District Council corporate services senior manager Peter Kearney is taking the lead in developing the strategy, with Mr Blake liaising with the community and providing advice.

Since moving to Kaikōura, Mr Blake has been employed by Puhi Peaks Station, helping the tourism operator recover from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2016 and Covid.

He has also built links in the community, including involvement with the Takahanga Sport and Recreation Hub and the Mayfair Arts and Culture Centre.

‘‘One thing I learned during my time with the Crusaders is the value of collective engagement,’’ Mr Blake said.

‘‘I have spent my time so far listening to what people’s ideas and concerns are and how they would like to see Kaikōura grow, and I am feeding that back to the council.’’

Mr Kearney said he looks forward to working with Mr Blake.

‘‘This is a very exciting journey for us as we seek to build momentum in the economic development space and it is fantastic to have Tim available to provide his experience and input to that journey.

‘‘I know he is passionate about helping us in this area for the good of the district.’’

Mr Kearney said the council will be engaging with business owners, residents and community groups in the coming months.

The feedback will help in developing a draft strategy to create a vision for the district’s economic direction over the next 50 to 100 years.

It will build on the spatial plan, which was adopted last year and lays out a vision for how the town could develop over the next 30 years, and feed into the next Long Term Plan.

‘‘This is getting well into the future, but a lot of these things are going to be around for our children and grandchildren,’’ Mr Kearney said.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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