Minding your own business

The Bay of Islands with a population of around 20,000 has seven business associations - Russell, Opua, Paihia, Kawakawa, Kaikohe, Kerikeri and Waipapa. Is this a duplication of purpose?

In recent months there's been a move to bring the various business associations together under a single umbrella to promote the Bay of Islands as a whole by adopting the Business Improvement District (BID) framework. It's designed to bring business back into town centres and is a partnership between local government and local businesses funded by an annual levy. Bill Fenton, a spokesperson for the Bay of Islands' initiative, says a combined effort was necessary.

"Destination Northland and Northland Inc didn't have the confidence of the majority of players and we had spent a quarter of a million dollars of our own money promoting the Bay of Islands.

"Rates depend on population which depends on employment so it's circular and we need to acknowledge all types of businesses, not just tourism, as a destination to live and retire here."

According to the 2013 census the Bay of Islands recorded a 1% rise in population since the last census in 2006. Kerikeri is the star performer with a population increase of 11% but extracting that growth from the overall statistics, the Far North recorded a drop in population of 4% in that period.

And that, says Mr Fenton, is why it's necessary to encourage people to the region. He says getting all the committees together was initially like "herding cats" but they've now reached heads-of-agreement stage and are applying for council funding. Council has set aside $20,000 in the Annual Plan for the BID but Mr Fenton declined to say how much his group is asking for.

They will employ Karen Remetis to manage the process. She's a principalof the Town Centre Development Group and is currently facilitating the Counties NZ Sport Horse Cluster. Isn't it an irony not to invest the suggested $40,000 fee locally? Mr Fenton says there was no?one here capable of doing the job.

Kaikohe and Kaitaia Business Associations clearly thought otherwise. In 2012 Council funded a facilitator to examine the promotion of Kaikohe. Business interests who needed to back the notion rejected it then but they're having another go at the BID process and have employed Kelly Van Gaalen, a local Community Board member, to generate interest. Her employment is funded through Pub Charity.

In 2012 the motion to install a BID in Kaitaia scraped through on 53% approval with just over a quarter of those eligible to vote actually doing so. Kaitaia thus became the first Northland town (and the first rural town in New Zealand) to adopt a BID. They employ a local person to act as co-ordinator and business owners are charged an average levy of $200 each. The timber mill pays significantly more and small shops pay about $100. It's up to property owners to decide whether to pass the levy on to tenants or absorb the fee themselves and Council administers the levy collection which amounts to $50,000 per annum.

Is it working for the town? There are plans to upgrade the CCTV system, the town entrance and airport signs are new, a conference was sponsored and monies have been set aside for a mural walk indicating historic buildings.

Former councillor and business owner Monty Knight says the Business Association has been conservative with spending and it's a little early to assess the benefit of the BID on Kaitaia. But he says upgrading cameras to improve security, looking at aesthetic enhancements and bringing more business people together, has to be "bloody good" for the town.

Four years ago Kerikeri District Business Association applied to Council for $24,000 to initiate a BID but, as happened in Kaikohe, business owners vetoed the initiative. Even if it is hard to get majority commitment they're having another crack at it and this time the combined strength of seven business associations from the wider Bay of Islands area representing 1647 business owners will surely add weight to the initiative.