New society aims to protect tourism brand as funds end | Manawatu-Wanganui News | Local News in Manawatu-Wanganui

Government funding for the Te Kahui Tupua regional tourism brand ended in June and stakeholders are rallying around to keep up the momentum.

They're forming an incorporated society and had an inaugural annual general meeting on July 29, interim chairman Allan MacGibbon said.

The group consists of representatives from Wanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitikei tourist organisations and 13 iwi. It is putting a constitution together.

The region's three district councils are to take it in turns to give administrative support.

The group wants to protect the value of the brand, get more people to use it to their advantage, and make it self-funding.

Members are spurred along by the fact that the brand is one of 34 finalists for the prestigious 2010 Tourism Association of New Zealand Awards.

Te Kahui Tupua - The Sacred Peaks - came out of a government initiative four years ago.

So far it has created a brand designed to appeal to international visitors, with brochures and a website, trained 127 tourism operators and has had a presence at New Zealand's top tourism show, Trenz.

The brand uses the history and mystique of the region, and its many stories, to attract and hold the interest of visitors.

It was time to build on those efforts, Mr MacGibbon said. The aim was to provide ever higher quality tourist experiences, under the Te Kahui Tupua brand.

One of the big challenges would be funding. The initiative had "substantial amounts" of government funding in its first three years.

Now it has $15,000 - $5000 each from the Wanganui and Ruapehu councils, and $2500 each from the Rangitikei District Council and the Whanganui Maori Regional Tourism Organisation. It's looking to become self-funding, for example by getting operators to pay for training.

Board members are enthusiastic about the brand.

Soraya Peke-Mason represents the Whanganui Maori Regional Tourism Organisation and said it was important to keep Te Kahui Tupua going, attend T3 every year and keep on training operators.

Money could be raised by membership fees and getting people to pay for training, she said.

It had taken a while but the brand had gained a lot of recognition, Rangitikei Tourism chairwoman Virginia Travers said. The fact that the three districts and their iwi had collaborated successfully for five years boded well for the future.

As an incorporated society, Te Kahui Tupua would be able to apply for grants and donations. Ruapehu board member Kathy Guy was unable to be contacted.