Dunedin Railways chief executive Murray Bond will step down in October after 24 years in the job. He spoke to reporter John Gibb about his efforts to develop Taieri Gorge Railway services and his confidence in the future of Dunedin tourism.
Dunedin Railways chief executive Murray Bond says the city’s tourism prospects are bright and he is confident its tourism earnings can be greatly increased.
Dunedin-born, Mr Bond (64) retires on October 6 and says he has enjoyed "every minute" of his more than 24 years in the job.
The number of passengers carried by Dunedin Railways, many of them tourists, has greatly increased since he began in April 1993.
"But I’m never satisfied. I would like to get a lot more growth.
"I’m proud, because running a tourist railway in a small city at the end of the world was always going to be a challenge but we’ve met that challenge."
The company’s position had been strengthened and "we’re almost certain to be here for another 20, 30, 40 or 50 years."
He has had a "hands-on approach to leadership" and often worked 60-70-hour weeks, coming in at weekends to help with cruise ship passengers.
He will continue to live in Dunedin in retirement, but has a holiday home in Central Otago, and intends to spend more time fishing at Lake Hawea and doing some reading.
Mr Bond studied at Otago Boys’ High School and later gained a bachelor of engineering honours degree, focusing on civil engineering, at Canterbury University (1974).
Before becoming chief executive, he was Dunedin district engineer for New Zealand Railways and a project manager for Arrow International.
The Taieri Gorge Railway post was a dream job, combining his railway interests with the excitement and challenge of working in tourism, one of the world’s biggest industries.
"There’s something different every day. I’ve just loved it."
When he began in 1993, the railway company was still the Otago Excursion Train Trust (OETT), with a board of management led by John Farry, who had chaired a successful Save the Train appeal in 1990-91.
"It was survival mode in 1993, as the company was established but not structured and financed such that operations could continue," Mr Bond said.
At that stage there were no funds in the bank, but plenty of payments to make. The track and locomotives were owned by Dunedin City, which had been "very generous" in making initial payments to ensure the infrastructure could be obtained and purchased.
Dunedin City started a process of refinancing the company and handing over assets which led, in 1995, to the formation of Taieri Gorge Railway Ltd. Dunedin City Holdings became a 72% shareholder, with OETT retaining a 28% share in the company.
During an initial "stabilisation phase", train services and passenger numbers grew to minimum levels for the company to be sustained. From the late 1990s until 2007, the company grew strongly, often at 10% each year, and "became well known as a New Zealand tourism icon", he recalls. The company is still Taieri Gorge Railway Ltd, but these days it trades as Dunedin Railways, a name easier for visitors to understand.
Company chairman Geoff Thomas has praised Mr Bond for providing "loyal and valuable service" and for leading "a transformation of the organisation" since 1993.
The company will be advertising for a replacement in the coming months.In 1993, fewer than 300 train trips were run, carrying about 18,000 passengers.
Last year, the company logged more than 1000 train journeys, carrying more than 80,000 passengers, Mr Thomas said.
As well as increased use of the company-owned 64km-long Taieri Gorge track, the company’s Seasider trips have grown "dramatically", first to Palmerston, and then extending to Moeraki Boulders and Oamaru, with many shorter trips to Waitati.
Mr Bond knows the big increase in passenger numbers has actually been more complex and challenging than it seems at first sight.
After the strong growth period, the company had faced tougher times, from 2007.
Because of "external events", the railway faced "difficult periods during the global financial crisis, bird [flu] and swine flu".
And he also highlighted "the often forgotten effect on tourism in this region from the Christchurch earthquakes, from which we are still recovering."
"Over these times, income and visitor numbers came under sustained pressure."
Management efforts had concentrated on "working to attract more tourists to Dunedin".
After 2007, growing numbers of cruise ship visitors played a key role in helping the company maintain its progress and offset some decline in visitor numbers from other sources. Mr Bond was also early to identify the importance of Chinese tourists, and went on several sales trips to China.
As a result the company outperformed other tourism operators in this field and helped "secure the inclusion of Dunedin in many itineraries".
Mr Bond said he was pleased to be leaving the company in good hands and would not miss "the ongoing stresses" of management, including handling "small difficulties, small staff issues".
Dunedin is not one of the country’s top five tourism areas: Auckland, Rotorua, Queenstown, Milford Sound and the West Coast.
But Mr Bond is "feeling confident" about the future of both Dunedin Railways and Dunedin tourism overall.
Such tourism had "huge potential" for growth.
If that potential is realised "Dunedin will absolutely boom — a lot of money will flow into Dunedin City."
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Comments
Congratulations to Murray on a job really well done. Taking the TGR, now Dunedin Railways, to one of the world's leading tourist railways is a grand achievement. And almost a quarter of a century in the position bespeaks his determination and the regard in which he is held by the board.
What we need now is the High St cable car running to complement DR, and Dunedin will possess rail attractions that will bring enthusiasts from the world over.