OPINIONS : Otago Southland regional tourism

– Southland regional strategy pumps for another 10,000 residents
– Central Otago looking at healthy linkages – Chinese gold mining trail
– Queenstown Lakes means ‘business’, flourishing! [infrastructure demands]
– Quelle surprise, Dunedin City Council criticised on visitor strategy (what tourism plan ?)….

Broadcast from RNZ’s Dunedin studio
### radionz.co.nz 5 Jan 2017 at 5:12 pm
Outspoken: The Future of the Deep South Link
In this Outspoken, a panel chaired by RNZ’s Otago/Southland reporter, Ian Telfer, looks at the deep south of the country – what is the future for the country’s most southern region and how successful is the push to get more people to shift there?
Audio | Download: Ogg MP3 (27′22″)

● Virginia Nicholls, CEO, Otago Southland Employers Association
● Norcombe Barker, Director of Larnach Castle, tourism leader and board member of Dunedin Host
● Tim Cadogan, Mayor of Central Otago (speaking by phone)

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Just a tiny amount of what we know, from the Interior, in no geographical order whatsoever…. click on photo for source or go to Comments for credits.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Southern Region, serving itself —or professional rugby (and Sky TV)

### ODT Online Tue, 1 Jul 2014
Opinion
Fresh thinking needed in local government
By Ciaran Keogh
Perhaps it is time to look at a far-reaching reform of the way local government functions at both local and regional level. There are substantial efficiencies to be gained from integrating many council functions across the councils within the region. More than 10 years ago I did away with all IT functions at the Clutha District Council and merged these with Invercargill City. This model would work for all of the councils across all of Otago and Southland for little more than it currently costs Dunedin City Council to run its IT services.
Some fresh thinking needs also to be applied to the stadium and the first of these should be the monopoly that rugby has over it and the grass surface.
Read more

● Ciaran Keogh is a former chief executive of the Clutha District Council, Wakool Shire in the Riverina region of New South Wales, and Environment Southland. He now lives in Dunedin.

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Crowds had been down right across the five New Zealand franchises but that was a worldwide trend, with fewer people attending events.

### ODT Online Tue, 1 Jul 2014
Rugby: Crowds can’t fall any further – Clark
By Steve Hepburn
The Highlanders met budget for crowds this year but have warned they cannot dip any lower if the franchise is to remain viable. In the eight games the Highlanders hosted at Forsyth Barr Stadium this year, 98,326 people came through the gate, an average crowd of 12,291 per game. […] A crowd of 11,070 attended the last home game, the win over the Chiefs, a figure that did not exactly delight Highlanders general manager Roger Clark.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr