Those have been the key themes to come out of months of workshops, held throughout Waitaki, seeking ideas for the district’s destination management plan.
Waitaki destination management strategy project manager Melanie Jones said the workshops had been "fabulous" and created some "cracking" ideas for the plan.
Those attending workshops wanted visitors to give back to the communities, and wanted to attract more people to live in the district’s smaller townships, to help with business economy.
District leaders in heritage and culture were also involved in other workshops, as the sectors were key to the district’s identity.
Several discussions focused on the district’s major assets and how to maximise opportunities.
"We’ve got an amazing number of strings to our bow. There’s still learnings on what we’re going to focus on," Mrs Jones said.
The plan’s governance and working groups were also working in partnership with the Mackenzie District Council.
Two members from Mackenzie were on Waitaki’s governance group in a "deliberate" move, as Mackenzie’s destination management plan covered part of the Waitaki district.
"It’s really important that we know what they’re doing and that we’re aligned."
The key themes would now be collated from the workshops by Mrs Jones, and a draft strategy would be created.
The plan’s governance and working groups would meet for another workshop this month, focusing on how to best use the data and resources.
