A standing-room-only crowd packed the Royal Hotel on Tuesday evening as around 70 business owners, tourism operators and locals gathered to discuss the future of Ōpōtiki’s economy.

The Visitor Economy and Business Outlook Forum is the latest event in the Ōpōtiki Rising Engagement programme, co-ordinated by Joseph Hayes through Aspire Ltd, which is inviting residents to help shape the district’s new Economic Development Strategy.

Building on the success of earlier community events, including workshops and cultural activities such as the popular Chinese cooking classes, the forum brought together leading economic and tourism voices to explore where opportunities lie for Ōpōtiki over the next three to five years.

Infometrics chief executive and principal economist Brad Olsen joined Tourism New Zealand isite executive manager Paul Yeo and Napier isite manager Jane Libby for a panel discussion covering economic trends, tourism opportunities and the importance of community involvement in shaping the district’s future.

Hayes said the strong turnout reflected the community’s willingness to be involved.

“The response has been fantastic. People have turned up, joined the conversations and shared honest ideas about the challenges and opportunities facing our district,” he said.

“We still have more engagements to come, so I encourage people to keep an eye out for what is happening in their area and take part wherever they can.”

The evening also impressed Olsen, who said it was rare to see such a large audience attend an event focused on economics.

He said the turnout demonstrated how invested Ōpōtiki people were in the future of their district, noting that similar presentations would struggle to attract that level of interest in many larger centres.

During the discussion, Olsen said strong transport connections remained critical for businesses, tourism and everyday economic activity throughout the Eastern Bay.

He described the Eastern Bay as a region with strong natural connections, saying the area’s economy, employment and tourism industries worked together across district boundaries.

Olsen also encouraged the community to focus on practical progress.

“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. You’re looking for advancement here.

“You’re not looking for utopia,” he said.

Drawing on her experience helping develop Napier’s cruise industry, Libby encouraged Ōpōtiki to begin exploring cruise visitor opportunities now rather than waiting for future harbour developments.

She said the district could build authentic visitor experiences around its culture, landscapes and people, initially targeting cruise passengers already arriving through the Port of Tauranga.

“You could do something now,” she said. “You could dip your toe in the water.”

Yeo said today’s visitors were increasingly seeking authentic, personal experiences rather than large-scale attractions.

“International visitors want little, small, intimate experiences. They want to know the stories,” he said.

Yeo said both international and domestic visitors were eager to learn more about Māori culture and heritage, presenting a significant opportunity for communities such as Ōpōtiki.

The evening concluded with audience questions, networking and interactive feedback sessions where attendees shared ideas on the district’s priorities, barriers to growth and opportunities to create more jobs and attract more visitors.

Ōpōtiki District Council chief executive Stace Lewer said the turnout demonstrated the community’s strong interest in helping shape the district’s future.

“It was extremely encouraging to see so many people from across our business and wider community come together for this conversation.

“The ideas and feedback being shared through Ōpōtiki Rising will make an important contribution to the development of our new Economic Development Strategy.”

Hayes said community engagement remained at the heart of the Ōpōtiki Rising programme, with anyone unable to attend an event still encouraged to share their ideas through the Ōpōtiki Rising engagement page or by emailing [email protected].