Background Vision of the New Zealand Cycle Trail Snapshot (Dave Bamford and Richard Balm) Success Stories Open forum...

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2 Contents Background... 3 Vision of the New Zealand Cycle Trail... 3 Snapshot (Dave Bamford and Richard Balm)... 3 Success Stories... 4 Open forum... 5 New Zealand Cycle Trail (Evan Freshwater, General Manager, NZCT Inc)... 6 Tourism 2025 (Claire McKnight, General Manager, Visit Ruapehu)... 6 Manawatu Whanganui Regional Growth Strategy (John Hutchings)... 6 Breakout Groups New Cycling Opportunities Short Term (next 12 months) Medium Term (1 to 3 years) Long Term (3 to 5 years) Trail Co ordination and Planning Governance and Planning New Product Marketing and Development Improving Business Support Services Connectivity Value added... 9 Next Steps... 9 Attendance list Page 2

3 Background The New Zealand Cycleway Project was launched in The regional development project was driven by central and local government. The Ruapehu District has had two Great Rides developed in the region: the Mountains to Sea and the Timber Trail. Both have had a positive impact on the Central North Island. Vision of the New Zealand Cycle Trail To generate lasting economic, social and environmental benefits for our communities, through a network of worldclass cycling experiences. Since 2009 the New Zealand Cycle Trail has grown to a network of 23 Great Rides with 2,700 km of cycle trails. The Mountains to Sea Cycle Trail was opened in July 2010 and, in March 2013, the Timber Trail was opened. In the last five years, cycle tourism has had a positive impact on the Ruapehu District, supporting existing businesses and creating new opportunities. The common phrase Ruapehu is just a winter place has changed. It is now a great place to visit in summer. The Summit was divided into two parts. The first half was an opportunity to celebrate what has been achieved, hear some success stories, discuss what has worked and identify what needs to be improved. The second half focused on planning for the next five years. The recent Manawatu Whanganui Regional Growth Strategy identified a number of cycle tourism opportunities in the Ruapehu District. An action plan to take advantage of these opportunities will be announced in April 2016, so the next five years can be even more successful. A number of the presentations were delivered at the workshop. These can be viewed on the Ruapehu District Council website services/economicdevelopment/pages/cycle Tourism Summit.aspx Snapshot (Dave Bamford and Richard Balm) Dave and Richard told the story of how the New Zealand Cycle Trail project was conceived, in response to the Global Financial Crisis in This resulted in the Ruapehu District receiving funding to develop two Great Rides; the Mountains to Sea and the Timber Trail. They also Page 3

4 provided data on the cost to build the trails, trail visitor number and a comparison of winter and summer visitors to the Ruapehu District. Success Stories Three local businesses were invited to share their story about how the cycle trails have impacted on their businesses. Paul Goulding talked about how he moved from Auckland, after seeing a business opportunity around the Timber Trail and established Epic Cycle Adventures in Taumarunui. His story demonstrated the challenges of small owner operated business establishment, followed quickly by growth pressure in a changing tourism environment. Darren Gamble from Mountain Bike Station talked about moving to Ohakune and the positive impact the Mountains to Sea Cycle Trail has had on his business. From humble beginnings, to packaged tours encompassing the entire trail have transformed Mountain Bike Station s business reputation as one the emerging leaders in cycle tourism in Ruapehu. Bruce Maunsell spoke about the plans to build the Timber Trail Lodge at Piropiro Flats, in the middle of the Timber Trail. He talked about the long lead times to complete the planning before construction can even begin. Bruce demonstrated investment confidence created by thorough business planning and research his team looks forward to turning the first sod soon. Page 4

5 Open forum The forum was an opportunity to discuss the last five years and the following issues were raised: The lack of cellphone coverage on the cycle trails is creating a safety issue. Metservice does not provide a specific weather forecast for Whanganui National Park. The Great Rides need to have trail safety plans These are a requirement of the WOF to be issued by New Zealand Cycle Trail Inc. The possibility of changing the Tongariro National Park Management Plan to allow the use of mountain bikes. The need to develop partnerships with iwi and the need for meaningful consultation. Ways to shorten the lengthy lead times to complete the planning for new investments. There needs to be better cohesiveness of the visitor experience associated with cycling in the Ruapehu District. The Ruapehu visitor experience needs to be differentiated from the Rotorua, Taupo and Waitomo experience. The Ruapehu visitor experience needs to be supported by storytelling and suitable interpretation. Ways to attract and respond to the specific needs of international tourists need to be developed. There needs to be a greater emphasis on ecological sustainability of cycling facilities. Ensuring that the existing trails can be maintained to the appropriate standard needs to be a priority. The development of new trails needs to prioritised and the mix of graded improved particularly the provision of easier trails suitable for families. There is confusion around having two starts to the Mountains to Sea. The end of the Timber Trail at Ongarue is confusing and should be improved. New Zealand Cycle Trail and DOC need to improve how they work together at a national level Road signage needs to be improved so that visitors can find the cycle trails. The road to Piropiro Flats needs to be improved. Walkers are potentially a big market. Their specific needs to be considered as existing trails are improved and new trails developed. Page 5

6 New Zealand Cycle Trail (Evan Freshwater, General Manager, NZCT Inc) The New Zealand Cycle Trail Incorporated is the organisation formed to co ordinate the Great Rides and represent their interests. Evan gave an update on the recent activities of the organisation including the introduction of the trail survey and trail warrant of fitness for all Great Rides. Evan talked about the requirement for each Great Ride to pass an annual Warrant of Fitness. This covers trail standards, governance and trail support services. It is being used as a tool to drive an improvement in quality standards. Tourism 2025 (Claire McKnight, General Manager, Visit Ruapehu) Claire introduced the Tourism 2025 strategy and the aspirational goal to increase total tourism revenue to $41billion by The strategy comprises five key areas insights, target for value, productivity, visitor experience and connectivity. Manawatu Whanganui Regional Growth Strategy (John Hutchings) John is the co author of the recently completed Growth Strategy. The strategy identifies eight growth opportunities for the region. One of these opportunities is associated with tourism and visitors. The region already has significant tourism assets and exposure. The emphasis is on outdoor and nature based adventure and is well suited to a new generation of domestic and international tourists. Comparative advantage lies not only in the geography of the region and its location at the centre of high volume traffic flows from State Highways 1, 3 and 4. There is also a uniquely spiritual character to the mountains of the Central Plateau and the Whanganui River, with its numerous marae settlements. The current tourism contribution in the region, apart from the existing ski related offering and the Tongariro Crossing, has latent growth potential. The region is not telling the story of the potential outdoor recreational opportunity because the offerings are fragmented with no cohesive narrative around them. Page 6

7 Breakout Groups For the planning section of the Summit, the participants were divided into four breakout groups to discuss and generate ideas around key opportunities. 1. New Cycling Opportunities 1.1 Short Term (next 12 months) Complete the remaining sections of the Mountains to Sea. Complete the interpretation that tells the story of the Mountains to Sea. Ensure the visitor experience for both the Mountains to Sea and the Timber Trail is complete. Investigate the possibility of heli biking in Pureora Forest Park. Produce a complete regional cycling map. Continue with the planning of the Ohakune Mountain Road trail (with caution). Plan a network of cycle trails around Ohakune that uses the town s Green Belt. 1.2 Medium Term (1 to 3 years) Complete the Missing Link between National Park and Horopito. Complete the Ohakune to Raetihi Rail Trail. Maintain the 42 Traverse as a mountain bike trail. Develop more challenging mountain bike tracks off the Timber Trail. 1.3 Long Term (3 to 5 years) Integrate the Te Araroa walking track and mountain bike tracks through Pureora Forest Park. 2. Trail Co ordination and Planning 2.1 Governance and Planning There is a need for a cycle advocacy group that acts as an umbrella group for cycling activities in the Ruapehu District. The group would co ordinate the various recreational groups involved in walking and cycling in the District. The group needs to of a manageable size and focused on all cycle trails. There needs to be transparency in how the advocacy group operates. The development and maintenance of cycle trails needs good leadership and trail champions. Page 7

8 There needs to be better event oversight and planning. A Cycling Strategy needs to be developed that emphasises the economic opportunities and which can be used to attract funding. Governance of the cycle trails needs to evolve over time. The members of the cycle advocacy group need to be selected for a mix of skills and representation. These should include industry representatives and active riders. The advocacy group needs to have links to and be supported by Ruapehu, Taupo, Waitomo and Whanganui. Each Great Ride needs to have a coordination group. Possible representation is shown in the following table; Great Ride Mountains to Sea Ruapehu District Council Whanganui District Council Department of Conservation Iwi + industry reps + riders + resource To drive this and gain external funding Great Ride Timber Trail Department of Conservation Iwi Timber Trail Advisory Group Ruapehu District Council Waitomo District Council Landowners Operations and marketing groups 3. New Product Marketing and Development Improve rail connectivity and develops packages which link rail and cycling. Develop more products which include a cultural component. Create a Ruapehu cycling app. No one owns the cycle trails. There is a need for both the Ruapehu and Taupo RTO s to develop and facilitate product development that attracts more visitors to ride the trails. There needs to better integrated marketing of cycling in the District. There needs to more clarity around what the destination is. 4. Improving Business Support Services Providing businesses with help to get the necessary planning permissions to start and expand their operation including the Resource Management Act and Department of Conservation requirements. Improving digital communications including broadband and cellphones. Monitoring of economic and social trends to assist business in planning. Page 8

9 Implementing the special economic zones opportunity where appropriate to reduce red tape associated with establishment of business. Support the Business Mentoring Service. 4.1 Connectivity Continue to advocate for improved rail services. Continue to improve road signage and way finding so visitors can find the cycle trails. Developing and implementing destination management plans. Improve the standard of roads connecting the cycle trails. 4.2 Value added Develop an intentions system for the Great Rides or advertise greater use of the existing systems. Continue to develop associated products and packages. Next Steps Ruapehu District Council to co ordinate the formation of a cycle advocacy group that acts as an umbrella group to advance cycle tourism in the Ruapehu District. The Ruapehu District Council to investigate holding another cycle tourism meeting next year. For further enquires contact Warren Furner at the Ruapehu District Council warren.furner@ruapehudc.govt.nz phone: ext 251 or mobile: Page 9

10 Attendance list Marty Akroyd Department of Conservation Rebecca Bell Ruapehu District Council Planner Jim Campbell Department of Conservation Lucy Conway Raetihi Promotions Don Cameron Mayor, Ruapehu District Graeme Cosford Ruapehu District Councillor Damian Coutts Destination Great Lake Taupo Ruth Cuthbertson Mararoa A B Trust John Dempsey Dempsey Buses John Etana Te Rongoroa Marae Richard Faire My Kiwi Adventures James Fisher Ruapehu Alpine Lifts Stephen Fletcher GHD Ltd Jane Gamble Station Lodge and Mountain Bike Station Andy Gowland Douglas Ngati Rangi Ken Haworth Whanganui River Adventures Rex Hendry NZ Walking Access Commission Ra Hepi To Rongoroa Marae Jimmy Hildreth Sport Whanganui Vanessa Kereopa Kiwi Mountain Bikes Manu Kereopa Kiwi Mountain Bikes Murray Johns Ohakune 2000 Kate Lacy GHD Ltd Rachael Laver Waitomo District Council Maurice Louis Art Doc, Bennydale Brad McGlynn Bayview Chateau Tongariro Kandy Mott Ohakune Events Charitable Trust Tasha Parker Coughlin Peak to Powderkeg Event Tamati Potaka Taihape B&B Tony Power Timber Trail Shuttle Cherie Prince Sport Whanganui Greg Prouse Ride and Guides 2 Enthral Nick Reader Mountain Trek Event 2016 Erana Stevens Department of Conservation Edwina Te Ahio Pa Harakeke Eco Cultural Centre Te Kura Turoa Te Wanikau Patutokotoko / Uenuku Julian Tovey Department of Conservation Kim Treen RDC i SITES Manager Mike Wiggins TCB Ski, Board and Bike Claire Wickham Visit Whanganui Murray Wilson National Park Village Business Association Inc Rowyne Yeatman Mararoa A B Trust Peter Zimmer DOC Conservation Board member Antika Wood Powderhorn Chateau Page 10

11 Tim Weaver Les Chapman Ben Wiggins James Foubister Paul Chaplow Paul Goulding Darren Gamble Dave Mazey Evan Freshwater John Hutchings Don Cameron Claire McKnight Dave Bamford Richard Balm Warren Furner Bruce Maunsell Chris Impson Aidan Gilbert Dean Fountain Rory Smith Cool Solution TCB Ski, Board and Bike TCB Ski, Board and Bike Forgotten World Adventures Epic Cycle Adventures Station Lodge and Mountain Bike Station Ruapehu Alpine Lifts Ltd New Zealand Cycle Trail Inc Henley Hutchings Ruapehu District Council Mayor Visit Ruapehu Trust Dave Bamford Ltd Natural Resource Solutions Ruapehu District Council Timber Trail Lodge Ruapehu District Council Ngati Tara Trustee Uenuku Taylor Memorial Lodge Tamara Lodge Page 11

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