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Some Hawke’s Bay councils say they are open to chipping in next year to keep Hawke’s Bay Tourism going, with Napier including $300,000 for it in its draft annual plan for 2025/26.
Napier MP Katie Nimon is also pushing to save Hawke’s Bay Tourism, and has suggested councils combining tofund it would be the best way to keep the lights on next year.
Nimon, who headed her family’s bus and tour company before shifting to politics, was worried Hawke’s Bay Tourism would become a “tin shed operation” if not funded properly.
One funding option available could be the Government putting additional levies on tourist accommodation to fund regional tourism organisations, but this would be challenging in the current fiscal environment.
HBRC chairwoman Hinewai Ormsby said “after more than 20 years and over $20 million” the regional council has had to “shift ratepayer funding to more urgent regional economic priorities”.
“I want to make it clear that ratepayer funding for Hawke’s Bay Tourism was always intended to be for a finite period,” Ormsby said.
“The board has been fully aware of the need for the tourism sector to eventually stand on its own, without ratepayer support.”
“Hawke’s Bay is one of the only regions that has bounced back to pre-Covid numbers, and to pull the rug out now is just the worst thing you can do for the economic growth for the tourism of Hawke’s Bay, which is a real jewel in our crown.
“What will happen is we will see [Hawke’s Bay Tourism] become a tin shed operation again and then we’ll get to a point where we’re having to build it back from nothing in the future when people realise how important it is.”
Katie Nimon is worried that without Hawke's Bay Tourism the region will lose domestic and international visitors, hurting the region's economy. Photo / Warren Buckland
Nimon said if money was not forthcoming from the regional council, the Government could introduce additional levies on tourists and channel that funding to regional RTOs. Asking the tourism industry to pay more was another option, she said.
The quickest solution for Hawke’s Bay was for other councils to team up to fund HB Tourism.
“Us putting together bigger levies, that’s really tough because at the end of the day, we’ve already increased the international visitor levy.
“None of those things keep the lights on next year — apart from the councils coming together.
“Hawke’s Bay benefits from international and domestic visitors because if they didn’t come here we would not be able to keep the amount of restaurants open, the amount of activities open, and the amount of hotels open. That means we’ve got somewhere nice to go out on a Thursday night or we’ve got something fun to go and do on a Saturday afternoon.
“[The tourism industry] allows us the luxury of having that and we will see that go if we don’t support Hawke’s Bay Tourism.”
The region's mayors, from left, Alex Walker, CHB; Kirsten Wise, Napier; Craig Little, Wairoa; Sandra Hazlehurst, Hastings; and Hinewai Ormsby, chairwoman of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said Hawke’s Bay Tourism was “an essential link in a chain that brings visitors to Napier and to the wider region”.
“We strongly believe that now is the time for renewed investment in tourism rather than any reduction.”
A Napier council spokeswoman said $300,000 had been included to help fund Hawke’s Bay Tourism in NCC’s 2025/26 Draft Annual Plan, which goes out for consultation in March/April 2025.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said Hawke’s Bay Tourism’s model had been “very successful”, with tourism bringing in more than $700m annually for the Hastings economy “just under what our horticultural industry generates”.
“What is recognised is that HB Tourism is important for our region’s economy, jobs and ongoing prosperity.”
Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor Alex Walker said her council would also consider including a contribution to funding Hawke’s Bay Tourism in its draft annual plan.
“We don’t want to go backwards to the Hawke’s Bay of 10 years ago, which had fragmented, uncoordinated and inconsistent promotion.
“Government has signalled that we should all be shoulder to the wheel on economic growth — we agree, this is a team effort.”
Hawke’s Bay Tourism chief executive Hamish Saxton said he was in talks with councils and was supportive of the idea of a national visitor levy collected through accommodation for funding.
Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said his council was conducting a cost-benefit analysis and Wairoa council had not budgeted to fund HB Tourism.
“There is a lot of pressure to reduce the burden on local ratepayers.
“We believe tourism, like any other business, should be able to be self-sustaining and we support HBRC not providing funding.”
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region, along with pieces on art, music, and culture.
* Clarification: An initial version of this story was headlined ‘Napier MP Katie Nimon suggests new levies on tourist accommodation to fund regional tourism organisations’. Levies were one of four options suggested by Nimon, with funding from Hawke’s Bay’s councils her preferred option.
