Tourism Infrastructure Fund Projects

July 2021 - Tourism Infrastructure Fund Round Five projects

Two projects to improve toilet facilities in Whangamatā have been chosen. See the table below. 

December 2019 - TIF round four funding announcement

Two projects to improve toilet facilities in the upper reaches of the Coromandel have been chosen to receive just over $116,000 from the latest funding round of the central government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF).

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) awarded $65,247 to upgrade toilets at the busy tourism hotspot of Little Bay and $51,422 to introduce a toilet facility at Otautu Bay, where there are growing numbers of visitors but currently either very basic or no public toilets available.

Our Council will co-fund these projects  with approximate amounts of $59,950 for the Little Bay toilet upgrade and $73,775 at Otautu Bay.

"This funding is great news as both projects are much-needed to cater for rapid tourism growth at these unspoilt, natural environments," says Thames-Coromandel District Council Mayor Sandra Goudie.

“Otautu Bay and Little Bay are becoming more and more popular as both domestic and international visitors discover this beautiful northern area of the Coromandel; and infrastructure such as toilets are central to the visitor experience,” Mayor Sandra says.

"Again, we are grateful for the support from central government in recognising that as a small council, with limited resources, it's a huge ask to manage growing visitor numbers," Mayor Sandra says.

“The TIF was set up to support communities facing pressure from tourism growth, with high visitor numbers, but relatively small ratepayer bases – like our district," she says. “With just 2,621 ratepayers in the Coromandel -Colville Community Board area, these isolated tourist hotspot projects are unaffordable without the support of the TIF.”

Find out more about these two projects in our December 2019 media release here. 

September 2019 - TIF round two funding announcement

The Minister of Tourism Kelvin Davis announced in September 2018 that the Government was allocating $19.6 million for tourism infrastructure projects across the country through the second round of the Tourism Infrastructure Fund.

Our Council has received more than $2 million of that money, for the following three projects:

• $1,426,841 for an upgrade of visitor infrastructure in Hahei to respond to growing tourist numbers visiting nearby Cathedral Cove.
• $467,500 for an upgrade of existing toilet and wastewater facilities at Whangapoua Beach, which is the last stop before heading to New Chum Beach.
• $108,352 for the provision of public toilet facilities at Onemana Beach.

Brown Street, Thames, public toilets upgrade

The all-new Brown Street toilet block was officially opened in July 2021.

The budget for this project is approximately $370,000, with half provided by the government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund.

The current building will be replaced with a new structure with a heritage look and a roofline that allows the nearby titoki tree to remain.

Pepe Reserve, Tairua public toilets

Photo above: The new toilet facility at Pepe Reserve, Tairua

The new facility was completed in May 2021 and provides eight new toilets including two accessible toilets to replace the old facility at Pepe Reserve, Tairua. It also has a map of the District showing main Coromandel attractions and estimated distance times. This project recieved $412,000 of funding as part of the TIF. 

Onemana Toilet

The new facility was completed in March 2020 and provides two new accessible toilets to replace the old toilets at the Onemana Surf Club, which are being developed by the Onemana Surf Life Saving Club. It also includes a shelter for school students, as well as space for a community notice board. This project recieved $108,352 of funding as part of the TIF.

Sailors Grave (Te Karo Bay) Toilet

This new toilet facilty was also part of our successful TIF applications and was completed in August 2020. The overall project cost was $145,000 with $63,275 coming from the TIF.

Hahei Central Toilets

This project is to upgrade the existing toilet located by the Hahei Community Hall. This toilet has only two pans, and with Government funding, we are looking to bring forward a scheduled upgrade to the 2019 year.  The upgrade will provide for an additional pan (three pans in total) with a fully disabled accessible toilet. 

As part of the upgrade we are looking to relocate the toilet from its current position, and move it forward, closer to Hahei Beach Road, on the corner at the entrance to the car park, next to the fire brigade building.  The reasons for shifting the toilet location are:

• Building a bigger toilet to meet tourist demand is difficult and costly in the current location due to existing underground pipes and limited space;
• Shifting the toilet away from the playground will improve surveillance to the recently upgraded playground and improve safety for users;
• The proposed toilet location is more visible to visitors, and could be a high quality asset to the town;
• The new location will allow for new landscaping in this location

Hahei Tourist Walkway

This project is aimed at promoting the walking village concept for Hahei. A pedestrian walkway is to be provided from the Hahei Visitor Car Park, through to Hahei Beach and Cathedral Cove Walkway via Kotare Reserve and Hahei Beach Road. A map of  the proposed route can be downloaded on the right of this page.

The purpose of this path is to create an attractive alternative walking route for visitors and the community through the village that does not rely as much on streets, but takes walkers through Kotare Reserve. The intent is to help improve safety, encourage people to walk rather than drive and provide an attractive visitor experience.

The majority of the walkway will be hoggin path (hoggin is a mixture of clay, gravel and sand and was used on the Whitianga Buffalo Beach waterfront). Some wet and boggy areas will be traversed with coloured concrete and boardwalk.

Once on Hahei Beach Road, walkers will use the existing footpath, and cross the road at the existing zebra crossing. 

Brown Street toilet, Thames

(Pictured above: New Brown Street, Thames, toilet block)

Work on the Brown Street toilet was completed at the start of July. The cost of the project was $183,626, half is funded by the TIF and half from Council.

Whangapoua Toilet Upgrade

The Whangapoua Toilet upgrade has been completed.