Train venture on track for Oppatt

HIGH ACHIEVER: Neil Oppatt, Rail Cruising owner/operator and Bay of Plenty regional councillor

Rotorua business man Neil Oppatt got into local body politics to help revive the city and new issues keep arising that keep him motivated.

He came to Rotorua 32 years ago and has worked to create an exciting place to do business through his own entrepreneurial ventures and 15 years on Rotorua District Council and another seven years with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

"I thought Rotorua had lost its way. The conomic reforms of the Labour government had been savage to Rotorua, bore closures had killed Rotorua as a popular place to retire, the city was looking tired and the council lacked vision."

So, in 1989, Neil threw his name in the hat and became a district councillor. He is particularly proud of being part of the councils elected in 1989 and 1992.

"They transformed the city into the beautiful place it is today."

His enthusiasm for local politics is driven by a range of issues that keep him re-standing for election. The two issues currently at the forefront for Neil are the clean-up of Rotorua lakes and local government reforms that could see the "city governed and managed" from Tauranga.

"While I support removing one level of local government, I do not believe we need, or can afford to have, a district and regional council. I am glad at this time to be in the regional council to fight from the inside any attempts to have Rotorua amalgamated with Tauranga and Western Bay Councils."

He says Rotorua was the shining light in the region when he first moved here and it needs to regain its economic mojo.

"[At that time] hotels were being built, factories were going up and it was an exciting place to be in business. But we have seen little such development in the past two decades."

The global economic situation means fewer New Zealanders are travelling overseas for holidays and Neil would like to see Rotorua re-establish itself as the premier domestic visitor destination through investment in new ideas such as Rainbow Springs' new water ride.

Neil's own new Rail Cruising tourism operation shows he is prepared to put his money where his mouth is on this.

"It's going really well. Feedback from customers has been great and we are surprised and happy with the diverse range of nationalities and ages. We are increasingly getting more advance large group bookings from the likes of conferences, Probus clubs, car clubs and school groups."

The independent rail experience is also attracting attention from railway line owners around New Zealand and Australia and Neil has been approached by people wanting to discuss the possibility of setting up Rail Cruising on their lines.

It's an idea that grew from watching web videos of rail biking overseas and a journey on a homemade rail cart some years ago, travelling between Mamaku and Putaruru with three friends.

Neil describes it as "soft adventure" tourism - something he sees as a growth sector.

"Soft adventure is increasingly being sought by a rapidly growing number of retired baby boomers, looking for activities that are not too taxing on the body, but still have a degree of excitement - albeit in a very safe environment.

"This is a big market that offers real growth potential for Rotorua, which already has a number of very good soft adventure activities in its tourism product mix."

Neil first got into tourism when he started Rotorua's first white water rafting company at the age of 22. That expanded into operations in Queenstown, Christchurch and Turangi and he was able to sell the business on to a Contiki subsidiary seven years later.

But tourism is not the only industry he has been involved in.

"After high school, I joined the Post Office, later to become Telecom, to train as a radio technician. The job involved installing radio communication equipment and fixing electronic faults. It was here that I learnt to think critically and problem solve."

Those problem solving skills have been applied to four independent businesses, including a business advisory firm and Harvestech, which designed and manufactured logging equipment. Neil has also worked as an ACC branch manager, marketing manager and as a marketing tutor at Waiariki Institute of Technology.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

What three qualities do you see as essential for leadership at a district/regional council level?

 

Patience

The ability to critically analyse issues and form a clear view

The ability to articulate ideas into a coherent motion

How do the skills/qualities required for local government and business overlap?

In your own business you are always constrained by a budget. As your costs go up, you can't just demand more from your customers like many councils do with their ratepayers. You learn how to do things differently - that often things you think you need, in reality, you can do without.

Unfortunately these are not traits that come naturally to local government.

How rewarding was it to see the first international flight come into Rotorua Airport after your involvement as airport chairman in the lead up to the transtasman services?

Unbelievably satisfying. The only disappointment was that it did not happen five years earlier, when the industry was really humming and airline interest in expanding routes was great and cities such as Queenstown were able to capitalise on the opportunity.

These times will come again.

If you could do any other job for a day, what would it be and why?

That's easy - I'd love to be the Prime Minister for a day. I once had dreams of representing Rotorua in central government but, having seen the demands the public places on our local MPs, I decided I wasn't prepared to sacrifice my family life - a choice I have never regretted.