Motu Trails moves into promotion mode

A community-based charitable trust is to be established to promote and market the $2.12 million Motu Trails cycleway and the business opportunities it will create.

While the construction phase of the project - funded to $1.74 million under the Government’s Nga Haerenga New Zealand Cycle Trail initiative and $380,000 by the Department of Conservation - is expected to take 12 months, the task of promoting the new visitor attraction for the Eastern Bay of Plenty-Gisborne region is being seen as a priority also.

The establishment of a charitable trust to undertake the promotion and marketing and to work with potential accommodation, transport and tourism services operators, has been unanimously backed by the Motu Trails Governance Group.

This represents the four partner agencies in the Motu Trails project - Opotiki District Council, Gisborne District Council, the Department of Conservation and Whakatohea Maori Trust Board.

The support for a trust came at the Governance Group’s inaugural meeting in Opotiki last week. It reflects the operation of a number of other effective cycle trails, such as the Otago Rail Trail and the Waikato River Trail.

Gisborne District Council’s representative on the governance group is Hans van Kregten, the Council's Environment and Planning Manager. He said that charitable trusts were being established for most of the 18 new cycle trails approved under the $50 million New Zealand Cycle Trail initiative. “This structure for operating and promoting cycle trails is favoured because of the need to attract significant funding to promote these public facilities to cycle tourists from throughout New Zealand and around the world.

It recognises that the two councils involved do not have budgets to undertake these tasks. Hans van Kregten said that whilst most of the Motu Trails are within Opotiki there will be opportunities for Gisborne to leverage off the project and bring people into our district. Representation from Gisborne on the new trust is therefore paramount.

It is expected that Trustees will come from the Opotiki and Gisborne communities, with iwi and the cycling fraternity also being represented. Similar Trusts around New Zealand have also co-opted representatives of corporate entities and other organisations able to assist in providing funding as the Government’s contribution is dedicated to construction of the physical facilities. It is hoped the new Trust will be up and running within the next few months.

Meanwhile, project manager Mike Houghton from the Opotiki District Council says that the message that has come through loud and clear is that there is no point having a cycle trail in our region without attracting people to use it.

“There will be significant business opportunities and job creation benefits from having the Motu Trails, but we need visitors to come here and there must be an appropriate organisation in place to undertake the work required to encourage them to do so.”

The Opotiki Community Development Trust has offered to assist in the establishment of a Motu Trails Charitable Trust and has begun seeking potential Trustees with proven business skills, enthusiasm and passion for the Eastern Bay of Plenty-Gisborne region, time to dedicate to the voluntary role and a willingness to work as a team to realise the full potential of what is being seen as one of the biggest economic development initiatives ever seen here.