Go Wairarapa fails to impress

GO Wairarapa has come in for a pasting from operators of Bush House in Greytown.
As far as Gay and Tom Rodgers are concerned Go Wairarapa can do just that ? get up and go.
"They are not doing their job and I know a lot of businesses who have, or want to give them, a miss," said Mr Rodgers.
The couple have owned Bush House for about 24 years and, until recently, paid around $300 a year to Go Wairarapa on the expectation that the organisation would help with promoting both the district and their business.
That, they say, hasn't happened.
Mr Rodgers said they are not willing to keep paying and have opted out, for one major reason.
"We own Bush House, which used to be the old Morison's Bush pub, on the Greytown-Martinbrough road.
"Go Wairarapa insisted on listing us as being rural South Wairarapa ? where's that to people in Wellington who want to book accommodation?"
Mr Rodgers said Bush House is only a short drive from downtown Greytown and needed to be listed as Greytown.
"That's what Wellington visitors are looking for when they go on the net looking for somewhere to stay," he said.
"We have had Go Wairarapa on about this several times and they say the reason we are not listed as Greytown is because you can't walk to a pub in Greytown from here."
Mr Rodgers said he and his wife have been following the debate about the location of the Masterton Information Centre and believe you would have to have blinkers on not to see that it was entirely in the wrong place.
"They built a new rec centre in Masterton that's attracting thousands of people to it, and they moved the information centre away to the most unlikely location in the entire town."
"Go Wairarapa is falling apart and it is going to wreck tourism here."
Mrs Rodgers said their criticism of the organisation runs even to the name.
"Go Wairarapa doesn't mean a thing ? surely if you want to attract tourists you have got to have the word tourism in your name."
The couple said for a year or two before they stopped payments to Go Wairarapa they had virtually no referrals through the organisation anyway, and since going it alone their business has remained just as healthy without the support of Go Wairarapa.
Tourism manager for Go Wairarapa Ron Murray said he was aware of the Rodgers' specific complaint regarding the rural South Wairarapa listing.
He said only last week he had initiated steps to have the listing altered and catalogued differently on the website.
Mr Murray said he was unaware of any other complaints the Rodgers had and that it was always disappointing when those who were unhappy with one aspect of the business broadened it to a level where they alleged the whole organisation was in disarray.