Is Gore the tourist trap some in the community would purport it to be, or does the town need to reel in big business in order to survive?
This has been the debate ever since the first mayoral debate last month, with incumbent Mayor Ben Bell putting his hat firmly into one camp.
The town, he said, needed to refocus away from "chasing tourists who may never come" and instead attract businesses looking for a base.
Mr Bell said Gore had some of the world’s best agricultural businesses and the town was "ripe for an economic boom", but was less specific on the move away from tourism in its entirety.
In last week’s election meetings, Mr Bell mentioned the arts and heritage budget as being one where savings could be made.
The challenger Nicky Davis said Gore does "not a bad job in tourism, but it could do it better".
There was much in the district to bring up and celebrate, Mrs Davis said, but it was necessary to promote ourselves more.
It should be noted most of Mrs Davis’ speaking time was dedicated to cutting rates and savings, and tourism was brought up after an audience question.
Data shows tourists spent a total of $86.4m in 2024-25 which is around 8.5% of the GDP of the Gore district.
Gore District Council general operations manager Dave Bainbridge-Zafar cited the Economic Impact of Arts & Heritage in Gore report performed by council, saying tourism in the town had good bang for its buck.
"The report showed that our amazing arts and heritage facilities attract more tourism spend in the district than they cost the ratepayer.
"This is partly because the various trusts involved in those facilities are supported by a range of individual donors and other organisations, so council doesn’t bear the full cost."
Southland Business Chamber CEO Sheree Casey said from a business perspective, there was a lot of promise in the Gore district.
"With the right investment in infrastructure, digital connectivity, and business support, Gore has the potential to attract new industries and jobs, while maintaining the values that make it such a great place to live and work."
Mrs Casey said moving forward there were ways for the council to encourage this growth, such as celebrating entrepreneurship, targeted sector development, work to retain youth and workforce within the district, and celebrating entrepreneurship.
"Ultimately, we want Gore to be seen as ‘open for business’ — a place where ideas are backed, businesses are welcomed, and long-term growth is built from the ground up."
