‘You’re in the hot seat’: Councillor turns up heat on Venture Timaru chairman

Wednesday, 11 December 2024

A Timaru councillor has grilled the head of the district’s economic and tourism agency, asking what it was doing to drive development and suggesting there had been plenty of talk, but no action.

Stu Piddington’s questions came after Venture Timaru chairman Tony Brien presented the agency’s quarterly report to a Timaru District Council meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

Brien highlighted some of the positives for the district including the World Tennis Tour at the Trust Aoraki Tennis Centre in February and Kaylee Bell’s performance at Caroline Bay in January.

However, it had been a tough year for the district’s economy and businesses, he said.

“We’ve got to live on that hope that what we do now will stand us in good stead going forward.”

Brien said the agency was focused on the future — increasing new businesses and encouraging more people to the district.

“Because our demographics are going to really hold us back if we don’t do something.’’

While the district’s GDP decreased, there had been an increase in tourist spending.

Referring to the 2050 strategy, prompted by a report commissioned by the agency, Brien said the district had to grow “to be viable and economic going forward’’.

The report assessed what the district would look like in 2050 if the status quo remained and compared that with hypothetical scenarios labelled “a bit more” and “much better”.

“We can not continue doing what we’re doing,’’ Brien said.

“We’re not in a good position unless we bring new businesses in, different businesses in to diversify what we’ve got and have those opportunities for people when they come here.’’

He said the agency’s focus was “very much around doing what we do well’’ but more diversification was needed.

The district had a diversified economy but it did not have the depth of diversification in some sectors to handle “some of the bumps that we might experience’’.

“The role needs to be to get out and find those businesses and bring them back and diversify our economy more.’’

He said the agency was going into 2025 with the hope things would get better.

But, Piddington said he did not get a sense that the district was going forward beyond talking about it.

He asked, “When does the rubber hit the road?’’

“I know it’s a challenge for everyone, but I guess every one of the region’s economic agencies are saying the same.”

He asked Brien what Venture Timaru was doing “to secure” what it hoped for.

“I worry that we’re spending too much time on other things and not focusing on that.’’

He said the quarterly report showed there were “lots of lovely things going on, but that’s not driving economic development’’.

Brien said the agency was charged with two things — promotion and economic development.

In terms of economic development, people could not be forced to come to the district, he said.

“But I fully acknowledge we have to do better in getting out of Timaru and going hunting.

“We should be hunting more and we’re doing things inside the organisation to deal with that.’’

Brien described economic development as a “tough gig’’ but said that was not an excuse.

Piddington acknowledged it was a difficult time.

“But we pour $700k into the organisation and really over the last couple of years we haven’t seen much in the way of results, and I do acknowledge the other side that you’re also doing.’’

Councillor Stacey Scott said it was not just about bringing business into the district but also supporting economic growth “within the current environment’’.

Brien said the past 18 months had been tough for many businesses.

“But there is no excuse, we need to deliver more and I’m not shying away from that.’’

Piddington said it was no good sitting in a meeting and everyone nodding their heads “because nothing moves forward’’.

“You’re in the hot seat,’’ he told Brien.

Councillors received and noted the report.