Kickstarting 2025: Our Economic Development newsletter

Published on 13 March 2025

Sparked an idea? Let's make it happen

If you’re working on a business idea, planning an event, or thinking about a new project that could bring jobs or skill-building opportunities, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to our team:

• Mitch King - Economic Development Lead
• Jess Black - Economic Development Advisor
• Lisa Church - Economic Development Advisor
• Kirstin Scarrott - District Events and Experiences Coordinator
• Ally Davies – Regional Tracks and Trails Co-ordinator

We’re here to help make it happen.

Have you signed up for tourism industry updates?

Destination Hauraki Coromandel, our regional tourism operator provides updates which keep our tourism industry and associated visitor-facing businesses in the loop about their activities, visitor insights, marketing activity and industry events and opportunities.

Sign up here

If you’re a tourism or hospitality business owner or manager, you might be interested in attending a half-day workshop on digital marketing. Destination Hauraki Coromandel is running this at a discounted rate for attendees in collaboration with Soda Inc. in Thames on Tuesday 8 April.

Details here

Economic summer highlights

The latest economic data for our Thames-Coromandel district reflects New Zealand’s broader economic struggles, but tourism recovery has been welcomed. 

Here are the key points:

• Economic activity: Thames-Coromandel's GDP slipped 0.1% in the year to December 2024, outperforming the national average decline of 0.5%.

• Construction sector: A pullback in construction was a major factor in the economic slowdown, reflecting a transition in cyclone recovery and weak national construction activity.

• Tourism sector: Strong performance with 16% growth in tourism expenditure and guest nights, driven by restored transport links and attractions. International visitor spend grew by 33%, and domestic visitor spend by 13% (though we note this is coming off a lower base after the storm impacts).

• Employment: Overall employment fell by 1.9%, with job losses in construction and professional services. Unemployment rose to 5.2%, with a record high of 1,320 Jobseekers, particularly among 18-24-year-olds.

• Housing market: House values eased by 3.1% annually, close to the national decline of 2.0%. House sales are rising faster than new listings, but interest in new houses remains low with only 38 new dwellings consented in the December 2024 quarter.

• Non-residential construction: Healthier outlook with record high consents in the year to December 2024.

Full data release here

Digging a little deeper into available visitor spending data for the summer, we can see that tourism spend was elevated in December but dropped off in January compared to previous years. This reflects what we’ve been hearing from businesses and reflects economic struggles mixed with our positive tourism recovery.

In January 2025, visitor spending in Thames-Coromandel reached $52.4 million, surpassing December 2024's $42.1 million. Despite this, January's spending was down 5.6% compared to January 2024, with a 3% drop in the number of transactions. International visitor spending increased by 14% compared to January 2024, making up 13.7% of the total visitor spend, while domestic spending fell by 8%, comprising 86.3% of the total. The arts and recreation services and retail trade sectors experienced significant declines. The re-opening of Cathedral Cove is certainly supporting recovery in the eastern suburbs. Southern Mercury Bay saw a 30% increase in visitor transactions compared to January 2024, maintaining the uplift from December.

Kōpū Activation Project

The Economic Development Team have picked up an ‘Activation Project’ for the Kōpū Marine Precinct. The focus of this project is to drive commercial and recreational interest in the Kōpū Marine Precinct and surrounding industrial land.

More information on this project will be provided by the Economic Development team as the project progresses.

The local Kōpū business community have created a Facebook page with updates on Kōpū Wharf activity. If you are interested in following the goings on at the Kōpū Marine Precinct, click here.

What influences population?

In its simplest form population demographics in an area are influenced by ‘natural growth’ – births minus deaths, and migration – movements of people to a new place of residence.

Natural growth and migration trends combine to provide projected population numbers and demographics. Everywhere we look population shapes our communities – from our friends and daily interactions to our investment decisions to suit people’s differing infrastructure needs. It’s important we continue to keep current people at the heart of everything we do.

He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata - What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.

Tairua River Trail update

A long-awaited walking and cycle trail connecting the Pāuanui and Tairua communities is set to become a reality, with all approvals now in place.

 When completed, the Tairua River Trail will create a fully off-road route between the towns via 13km of trails along the north and south banks of the river, connected by a spectacular 120-metre suspension bridge across the river near Tanners Mill joining the two sections.

A scenic and easily-accessible 6km section of trail from Pauanui waterways upstream towards Hikuai is already open, and used by tens of thousands of people a year.  When the trail to Tairua is finished, walkers and cyclists will be able to complete it as a loop, connecting with local streets in each town and a short ferry across the estuary, creating a unique one-day experience.

The Hikuai District Trust is a local charitable trust overseeing the trail’s construction.  Its chair, Derrick Adams, says the completed trail will become a valuable long term community asset.

“With its amazing views up and down the river, wide and mainly flat Grade 2 trail surface, and soon a bridge across the river that will make an impressive sight from nearby SH25, this is a trail the wider Eastern Coromandel community can be proud of,” Mr Adams says. "It will also be a valuable addition to the growing networks of trails around the region.

"We expect this to become known as one of Aotearoa's best one-day walks or rides, taking in a range of environments from mangroves to rolling farmland, with a few short sharp rises to keep it interesting. Our goal is not just to showcase the beautiful Tairua River estuary but to protect and enhance it for future generations, through our native planting and pest trapping operations”.

"We obtained resource consent before Christmas and final regulatory approvals in February, and preparatory work on new sections of trail on the north bank of the river is under way. We expect construction to begin in autumn, and hopefully be completed in the next few years."

In addition to the community health and wellbeing benefits, the trail is expected to bring economic opportunities from increased year-round walking and cycle tourism; conservation benefits through an extension of the existing planting and pest-trapping work; a safer off-road walking route for residents south of Tairua township; and potential future connections to other walking and cycling trails in the region.

Construction will be funded by a mix of public and private sources, with the opportunity for local organisations and individuals to support as cornerstone partners.  “We’re looking for like-minded businesses and philanthropic organisations who share our enthusiasm for helping get more people out and about in our Eastern Coromandel surroundings”.

Mr Adams is also calling for individual “Trail Blazers" to support the trail by setting up regular monthly donations, in exchange for exclusive benefits.  They can learn more by visiting the trail website or emailing HikuaiDistrictTrust@gmail.com.

“The trail has been community-led and fully volunteer- staffed from day one, and we’re very thankful for the ongoing public support from around the region,” he says.

“Public feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we're grateful to TCDC, WRC, local iwi, land owners, Waka Kotahi, Environment Waikato, the local community board and many community groups for helping us get this far."

"While we ramp up construction work, we encourage locals and visitors to get out and enjoy the section of trail that’s already open along the south bank, and get in touch if they want to support.

“We have a fabulous group of volunteers from far and wide who have helped fund, build and maintain the trail for many years.  If you want to get involved in any aspect of our future plans, we’d love to hear from you.”

Current work in data collection for trails

We are working towards establishing a robust data collection framework for the Mountain Biking (MTB) hubs/trails outlined in the Hauraki-Coromandel Recreational Biking Strategy. The goal is to gather relevant data to support decision-making, funding applications, trail planning, and community engagement. 

Key areas of work include:

• User counting and trail usage patterns - Using trail counters, GPS tracking, and survey data to understand how often trails are used, peak times, and the distribution of users across different trails.

• Economic and social impact analysis - Collecting data on visitor spending, accommodation stays, and local business impacts related to trail users. Understanding how trails contribute to community well-being and outdoor recreation participation.

The objective is to:

• Enhance decision-making – Provide councils, community groups and funding bodies with solid evidence to guide investment in trail development, maintenance, and promotion.

• Strengthen funding applications – Use data to support grant applications, demonstrating economic and social benefits.

• Improve trail planning and infrastructure – Understand demand and identify gaps in trail networks.

• Support local businesses – Use insights to promote tourism and business opportunities around trails.

From cultural festivals to outdoor adventures, we've got a jam-packed line-up that will keep everyone busy and entertained. Read on to discover what's coming up and how you can make the most of the beautiful autumn months in the district.

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Help us measure the impact of Repco Beach Hop

Our Council is conducting an economic impact study for the 2025 Repco Beach Hop. In 2021, 1,274 enthusiastic attendees participated in our survey, providing valuable insights.

We're gathering input from event participants and spectators to better understand how this iconic summer shoulder season event affects our local economy and community. Your feedback is essential, and we’d greatly appreciate your participation in the survey.

Complete survey

Black Rock Enduro returns

Get ready for an epic day on the trails - Black Rock Enduro is back for 2025.

Hosted at Whangamatā Mountain Bike Park, now gaining recognition as one of the North Island’s premier mountain bike hubs, this year’s event offers two unique courses:

• Four stage course – A fun challenge on Whangamatā’s best Grade 4 trails.
• Six stage course – Built for those who thrive on steep, technical terrain (Grade 4/5).

With a flexible race format, riders can hit each stage as many times as they like within the allocated time and only their fastest run counts. Whether you're tackling Enduro for the first time or chasing the gnarliest lines, this event is all about fun, speed and pushing your limits.

Enter now