Primary Services

i-SITEs

Why We Do It

The vision of Far North District Council i-SITEs is to encourage visitors to stay longer, enjoy more activities, and spend more money in the Far North by providing them with a positive image of our district. We do this through the provision of information services and facilities that are affordable, accessible, and contribute to the district's development needs.

Tourism New Zealand, i-SITE New Zealand, and Council have an agreement that recognises the importance of having an effective and high quality network of visitor information centres dedicated to delivering free, comprehensive, and objective information.

We provide information on destinations anywhere in New Zealand, offering the best advice on; where to go and what to see and do, in terms of accommodation, travel, activities, attractions, local information, and events. We also offer residents and ratepayers a place to do Council business.

What Has Changed Since The LTCCP 2009/19?

The Kaitaia i-SITE will be incorporated into Te Ahu.

Priorities For 2011/12	What We Have / Haven't Achieved
Working with the Hokianga community to develop a business model for the operation for the new Hokianga i-SITE	The i-SITEs have maintained a very good relationship with the Hokianga Tourism Association to enable increased opportunities for the Hokianga i-SITE.
Continuing to develop a joint initiative with local tourism operators, Te Roroa Hapu, Footprints Waipoua and the Hokianga Art Project at the Hokianga economic development centre and i-SITE	Council is still exploring the opportunity to develop a joint initiative with local tourism operators.
Working with Te Ahu to investigate and secure the ongoing use of the existing i-SITE building	To date Council has been unsuccessful at securing a tenant for the former Kaitaia i-SITE building and will continue to investigate potential options for its use.
Continuing to explore more cost effective options and locations for providing i-SITE services in the Bay of Islands - Whangaroa Ward	Council's preference is to maintain their current location at Paihia and is working with Far North Holdings Limited to secure ongoing tenancy.
Increasing the sale of retail products and introducing more revenue generating services	Hokianga and Kaitaia i-SITEs have increased retail sales including ticket sales for events held at the Te Ahu centre.
Reviewing the current cost base of the i-SITES operation and exploring a volunteer based service	The Kaitaia i-SITE is developing a base of volunteers to use over the summer season.

Future Issues / Challenges	Implications
Achieving a cost neutral status for i-SITEs, thereby reducing the ratepayer subsidy to nil	Review Council's level of involvement in the provision of i-SITEs, and provide more support to volunteer based information centres.
Establishing and maintaining positive relationships with other agencies and tourism promoters in the region	Unable to make best use of resources, provide seamless service and offer a broader range of services.

Highlights of Performance

TPM = Total number of Performance Measures

Performance 2010/11 vs. 2011/12 - has improved

Statement of Service Performance

For I-SITES the following pages detail:

Service performance information provides levels of service comparative results for 2010/11 and 2011/12 including achievements and issues.
Financial performance including comparisons against budget 2011/12.

FYI: Key symbols are used to identify each measure contributing to Community Outcomes. For more information on Community Outcomes see the Community Outcomes Diagram.