MINISTER for Tourism and Mental Health Matt Doocey visited Whakatāne last week to connect with the community and better understand regional challenges and opportunities.

During his visit, Mr Doocey participated in a roundtable organised by the Whakatāne District Council, which included tourism operators and Ngāti Awa representatives.

Mr Doocey praised the resilience of the local tourism sector: “It’s been a tough time with Whakaari and, of course, Covid-19, on the tourism sector here, who have done a brilliant job. I’m always in awe of our tourist operators.”

He discussed the Government’s ambitious target to double exports over the next decade, with tourism a crucial focus.

“I have set Tourism NZ a task of growing the value of international tourism by $5 billion over the next four years and 70 percent of that to be in off peak and shoulder seasons ... when assets and the workforce are under-utilised.”

He emphasised the need to enhance tourism’s value, not just increase visitor numbers.

The potential to extend an existing Great Ride through this region, connecting to points of cultural significance and the natural attractions in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, was discussed.

“And I must say, the enthusiasm that I saw with the local tourist operators, it’s no wonder that this part of New Zealand is a destination of choice for many local and international visitors.”

Regarding the proposed increase in the International Visitor Levy (IVL) to $100, Mr Doocey said it would fund tourism growth and impact only about 2 percent of total visitor spend.

“It’s not forecasted to impact tourism numbers.”

In his role as Minister for Mental Health, Mr Doocey met with 20-plus local mental health providers. Key issues discussed included the need for more localised decision-making and better integration of services.

Mr Doocey said there would be a $200 million increase in mental health funding for the coming year, bringing the total to $2.6 billion.

He emphasised the importance of aligning mental health services and addressing workforce vacancies through enhanced training opportunities.

During his visit, he was particularly impressed by the Resilience Cafe on The Strand, highlighting its effectiveness as a local crisis response model.

“It shows why our regional approach will work in mental health, because you need to be able to respond with local providers for local issues.

“We are really interested in the crisis cafe model for crisis response, which is providing great results here locally.”

The discussions revealed a need for clearer governance and more equitable funding distribution between urban centres and regions. Mr Doocey acknowledged concerns about the state of inpatient facilities and the need for more community-based services to support them.

“We announced a million dollars to boost that workforce for more access to training for the Level 4 certificate.”

East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick, who accompanied Mr Doocey, underscored the significance of ministers engaging with regional areas to understand their challenges and opportunities.

She expressed pride in the Eastern Bay’s community spirit and achievements, emphasising the need for adaptable policies that address urban and regional needs.

“Because we are  different, we have different challenges and different opportunities and  we have so many good things happening and  in the regions, particularly in the Eastern Bay and we need to focus on those, but we need to understand where the barriers and the challenges are, so that we can really unlock the potential of everything we can do here.”

Mrs Kirkpatrick said she was always keen to get ministers to the region: “My job is to make sure that we don’t get forgotten and that we are our voices are heard in the bigger discussion.”

Mr Doocey agreed: “Part of my role is coming out and learning what’s working on the ground and taking that back to Wellington,” he said.