Benefits of sticking to the original wheel

• Published date: 02 June 2023
• Publication title: Oamaru Mail

Consultation in council chambers on both establishing an economic development agency, next steps for the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony and details of the annual plan have kept both community and councillors engaged

Often the phrases ‘‘we don’t need to reinvent the wheel’’ and ‘‘well, we’ve tried that before’’ were voiced by increasingly frustrated submitters.

Waitaki is full of groups: the Event Centre Committee, Federated Farmers North Otago, Whitestone Civic Trust etc.

We are truly a district built on volunteer power, all with the drive to be of service to their community.

The Waitaki Whitestone Geopark, now officially a Unesco Global Geopark, a New Zealand first and an Australasian only is an example of what happens when you do not reinvent the wheel, but build upon an existing idea, connecting groups and slotting into an already established entity like Unesco. From the concept of Vanished World in Duntroon, the geopark has leveraged our natural resources and cultural stories and is uniquely positioned to pull on some major levers for our district.

Another group of volunteers from different groups and businesses have banded together to create ‘‘Inspire Waitaki’’ a series of events to nurture a start-up mindset in the district to enhance positive...