Whanganui & Partners has developed a plan for the funding's allocation, building on projects undertaken through the 2020 Strategic Asset Protection Plan funding.
Destination Management & Planning
$40,000
Destination management planning helps build and manage the visitor economy in Whanganui. It allows Whanganui & Partners to share information with stakeholders so that they can use it as a guide to manage and invest in Whanganui.
Destination Management Plan
Whanganui & Partners is undertaking the development of a Destination Management Plan to manage the future needs of tourism infrastructure to enable economic growth. This funding will also contribute to the implementation of the Destination Management Plan.
Industry Capability & Product Development
$405,000
Providing for industry capability and product development is crucial to successfully and sustainably bring new or adapted products to the tourism market. Developing new visitor experiences and enhancing existing offerings allows us to sustain the growth our visitor industry has been experiencing. It provides our visitor industry with tools to improve businesses and new offerings to complement the strong visitor experience on offer here.
Eco-tourism Hub
Whanganui & Partners is working with key partners to develop a plan for engaging visitors with the Te Awa Tupua story. This plan involves working with the Whanganui Māori establishing an Eco-tourism Hub.
Whanganui River Road Tourism Route
Working with local iwi and community to co-design signage with stories and imagery to support the Whanganui River Rd tourism route.
Coastal Arts Trail
This project connects galleries in the Whanganui region under a cohesive brand, including a website, logo, brochures, itineraries and promotion on the Trail. The Coastal Arts Trail is a self-drive itinerary of the art galleries, museums, and open studios throughout the west coast of the central lower North Island. This project is a collaboration between Whanganui & Partners and the EDAs of Taranaki and Manawatū.
Central Drive Journey
This project involves the co-ordination of trail links (including Whanganui, Taumaranui, Forgotten World Highway, Stratford, New Plymouth, Hawera, Whanganui loop), gathering stories to support the Journey, brand and itinerary development, marketing and promotion of Central Drive Journey.
History and arts walking tour
A world-leading, narrative based, immersive augmented (visual and auditory) experience. Educating visitors about the key aspects of Whanganui’s identity while engaging with a multisensory experience. The project bridges the gap between present, past and future, physical reality and the world of stories and ideas and in process changes the user’s perception of Whanganui as a whole.
Google My Business Partner Programme
This project will improve the Google profile of Whanganui and associated tourism businesses. It involves an audit and work plan development, content creation, the upload of hundreds of photos to locations in maps, the addition of missing data points, and the allocation of Google My Business workshops for tourism operators. This project also aims to capture content for Google Street View, including exploring the possibility of capturing footage of the Whanganui River, from Taumarunui to Whanganui.
Project Manager
A Project Manager will support the additional projects enabled through the Tourism Support, Recovery and Reset funding.
Training for tourism industry operators
Delivering workshops to assist operators in growing their businesses.
Building Regional Tourism Organisation staff capability and knowledge
This includes having staff attend Regional Tourism NZ events, gaining knowledge, upskilling and networking with other RTOs.
Cultural training and resources for operators and guides using the Whanganui river
Providing cultural training specific to Whanganui for all operators and guides using the Whanganui river.
Supporting Māori operators on Te Awa Tupua to gain Qualmark
This includes encouraging operators to register for Qualmark, running workshops for operators to understand the Qualmark process and providing support.
Marketing
$255,000
This allocation contributes to the activities Whanganui & Partners undertakes to promote Whanganui as a visitor destination.
Expansion of marketing activity
This includes defining a high-level marketing plan for 2021/2022, appointing a creative and media agency, developing a tactical marketing plan, developing advertising creative, implementing campaigns, aligning with TNZ campaigns where appropriate, and monitoring and reporting on marketing activity.
Event promotion
Overseeing the development and implementation of marketing plans for events sponsored by Whanganui & Partners. This includes monitoring and reporting, the development of business, event collateral, and the employment of an event co-ordinator.
Capturing imagery – including photography and video
This involves identifying imagery and themes needed, the development of narratives, securing talent, and undertaking a photo and video shoot.
Whanganui & Partners secures tourism support
Government announces Support, Recovery and Reset plan
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment tourism recovery plan
