Next Meeting 

Date: 17 July 2024     Time: 5.30pm

Location: LoHi Linen

• Please email any Agenda items to Derek - [email protected] 
• Please email or text any apologies to Derek - 027 626 4730

(see contact buttons at top of the page)

1. Focus Groups Brainstorming sessions

A. Destination Maniototo

Some ideas generated:

• Validate the brand position
• Create one hub for a Maniototo events calendar – important for local businesses to be aware of forthcoming events so they can plan for them – e.g., the MG club is coming to town this weekend. 
• Updating signage
• Consolidation – one voice

B. Streetscaping and Beautification

• Oliver suggested more murals around the town – said also he is in contact with a local artist about creating one
• Steel photographs around the town, with a QR code for people to learn more about the landscape
• A Blog to promote the projects and Ranfurly
• More plantings around town – liaise with established community groups – e.g., the Garden Club
• Shirley noted it would be important to work with Parks & Recreation
• Enter the best town competition
• Hold Top Town events – have been held previously and were a lot of fun for the community
• Lights – invite local businesses to participate – council funding can be available for lighting

- Important to put a service request into council to get work done – Stu said any request not responded to within 72 hours to let him know

-Question raised re getting a response from DOC – Ken Gillespie said the Rail Trust has a good relationship with the trust, can contact them 

-Question raised re the Maniototo Business Group Facebook page – Yes, its active and can be used to promote activities. 

2. Janine Smith – Project Executive, Tiako Maniototo

Tiako Maniototo is a group of landowners, conservationists and river users working on the restoration, preservation, and protection of the river catchment. The Upper Taieri Scroll plain is one of the most unique river environments in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Janine said the group have planted almost 90,000 plants thus far and completed 52 kilometres of fencing. 

She informed the meeting that she had just yesterday been contacted by Murray O’Donnell the director of Southern Dash – a car rally event designed to contribute to local communities. They would like to contribute a charity working bee to the Maniototo this year – they are available on 20 September.  

• Tiako Maniototo is happy to contribute plants for this. They also have two project managers, one of which is a botanist. 
• Will also need funding for the plant guards and weed mats for the plants. 

We need to develop a plan e.g., have several different sites with a local in charge, could cover several areas.  

Could we get the garden club involved? 

• Gary Hands to oversee organising the groups.

See Proposal at end of minutes

3. Oliver Geddes – Youth Advisor 

Russ introduced Oliver to the meeting saying he had some great ideas to contribute from a more youthful perspective. 

Oliver said his impression of the town when walking through was that it was boring and that it could be made more welcoming.

Some of his thoughts were:

• Murals – these will bring people in, adding colour and brightness.
• Skate Park – placed centrally where people can access it easily
• Sculptures – made from old metal – e.g. The Old Curiosity Shoppe had interesting pieces in its yard



-Russ said Lohi has a lot of families coming in on Sundays looking for something for the kids to do – a skate park in a prominent area would work well for this.

-Stu said the council needs submissions to make changes, and it was important to take a district wide view.

-Shirley noted that it was important to address the needs of the locals as well as the tourists. 

Oliver said the Year 7 and 8 classes had been asked for Mural designs – Including sheep farming – Stu concurred saying that the farmers made a huge contribution to the GDP. 

-Gary suggested a sculpture trail through the district – he said painting Silos in Victoria had had a beneficial effect there bringing in tourists

-Stu said that the Rail Trail was worth focusing on – if the rail trail was pumping, this alone would solve a lot of problems. 

Janine noted that Tiako’s Communications Manager, Bill Morris (a nationally recognised filmmaker), has been looking at the development of recreation sites, such as the Spec Creek Galaxiid Sanctuary. The sanctuary had over 10,000 hits online and Phil Smith, whose farm the sanctuary is on, reported hundreds of actual visitors last summer.

Gravel Riding is an activity that could be easily promoted in this area using existing roadways (see Gravel in Paradise). Bill has already mapped out three potential routes in the Maniototo – 

See map at the end of the minutes. 

Shirley noted they could promote this. 

4. Ken Gillespie - Otago Central Rail Trail Trust

Ken informed the meeting that the rail trail also had an interplanetary aspect using the rail trail as an accurate scale model of our universe. “Models that accurately reflect the size of the Sun, planets and our Moon, and the distances between them have been placed along the Trail.”

Ranfurly is the Sun (of course). A model/sculpture of the sun is under development made from railway iron and its 14 metres in diameter. It will possibly be placed over the track. No date given for installation. 

5. Amanda Cushen – Business Navigator, Business South

Business South was formed in 2021 with the merger of the Otago Chamber of Commerce and the Otago Southland Employers’ Association.

It covers a wide area from Queenstown Lakes through Central, the Maniototo and up to Waitaki and down to Stewart Island.

We have brought a lot of training to the area, and we have business mentors available, around 1500 of them. 

She noted also that they work closely with The Central App

Our website has lots of useful links and information for businesses.

6. Vicki Mclean – The Central App

The Business Pulse (B2B) page is now up and running – can be found on the Community page. 

Vicky noted that we can input your events here – any PR you have, bring it to us – we have 18,000 reads a month.

Derek informed the meeting that the Business Group meeting is listed here as are the minutes (under MBG Notes).

Planting Proposal

GRAVEL RIDING – POTENTIAL TRAILS