A biennial conference that attracts hundreds of delegates and top international experts is going to Oamaru in 2016. Sally reports.
The population of Oamaru is set to soar in April 2016.
About 500 people are expected to attend the Irrigation New Zealand biennial conference in the North Otago town. Its handsome, refurbished Edwardian opera house will be the central venue for most activities.
IrrigationNZ chief executive Andrew Curtis said the facilities in Oamaru were ''good'', and he was looking forward to hosting the conference in ''irrigation heartland''.
Local irrigation projects would offer superb field trips for delegates, Mr Curtis said.
''There are some exciting projects, including what the North Otago Irrigation Company has done - it's ground-breaking work.''
Not only was the infrastructure ''difficult'', getting water from the Waitaki River over hills to be distributed across rolling downlands to the south, but the focus on environmental matters was hailed both in New Zealand and overseas, Mr Curtis said.
All subscribers to the irrigation scheme had to have audited farm environment plans from the outset - something that was becoming mandatory in parts of the country as water quality regulations were tightened.
Other irrigation schemes on the north of the Waitaki River would also be worth visiting, he said. Open channel and border dyke systems that had been operating for decades were being redesigned to work with new technology that used less water.
It was possible the conference field trips would go as far inland as the Mackenzie Basin, where irrigation had allowed lush pasture to support dairy farming in the previously barren landscape.
Delegates would be able to take in some of the district's attractions during the conference, Mr Curtis said. Possibilities for the conference dinner were a Victorian or Steampunk theme.
IrrigationNZ was starting to plan in more depth now the venue had been decided, he said. Staff were sourcing speakers who would offer thought-provoking information and generate discussions.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said it had been ''a team effort'' from opera house representatives and Tourism Waitaki to secure the IrrigationNZ conference for Oamaru.
''They've done an excellent job. It's not easy to get something that big. What we had to do, as a community, was work out how we could cover all the different needs of a conference of that size.
''We've been able to demonstrate the benefit of having a conference in a really interesting place. There's a lot we can add to it.''
Rather than a large arena or stadium, Oamaru had historic buildings and a compact town centre where everyone could remain in contact throughout the event, Mr Kircher said.
He hoped they would have memorable experiences that would encourage them to return with their families in the future.
''We'll do a good job of this and show it was the right decision.''
One of the main reasons he supported the Oamaru Opera House refurbishment a few years ago was the prospect of its ability to attract conferences, Mr Kircher said.