Council-controlled organisations under same Timaru roof

Tuesday, 4 November 2025

Venture Timaru staff, from left, Tania Stoddart, Samantha Shields and Di Hay carry boxes into the new offices on Friday.

As the scaffolding came down around one of Timaru’s oldest buildings on Monday, the staff of the district’s tourism and economic development agency were settling into their new offices.

Venture Timaru shifted to the former Union Bank of Australia building on Stafford St late last week, moving in underneath the council’s holdings company, Timaru District Holdings Ltd (TDHL).

Venture Timaru chief executive Nigel Davenport said the agency was thrilled to move into its new location, which would house the two council-controlled organisations in the same building – TDHL on the top floor and Venture Timaru on the ground floor.

Davenport said the two worked closely on economic and business development opportunities for the district.

“The renovation and fit-out completed by TDHL across both floors has stayed true to and enhanced the heritage aspect of the building while also giving it a modern look, and we’re very pleased with the outcome,” Davenport said.

Workers take the scaffolding down from around the former Union Bank building on Stafford St on Monday morning.

He said Venture Timaru was excited to bring new life to south Stafford St and “play a part in the area’s re-emerging vibrancy”.

He said more tenants were sought for the top floor and anyone interested should contact TDHL general manager Frazer Munro.

Venture Timaru has been under pressure to deliver in the past 12 months and had been told it needed to do better to attract new business to the district following the delivery of three consecutive quarterly reports to the council.

Ahead of last week’s first council meeting of the new triennium, mayor Nigel Bowen told The Timaru Herald of his plans for his third term leading the district.

Bowen made no bones about the fact there was a lot of work to do and challenging decisions ahead, saying the council had commissioned “an independent review of our economic development and tourism activities, with a report due before Christmas”.

TDHL chief executive Frazer Munro has been overseeing the restoration of the bluestone building that originally housed the Union Bank of Australia.

“This will help guide any improvements early next year,” he said.

“The goal is to ensure all parts of our organisation, from planning to TDHL and to our economic development, are aligned in attracting and supporting business investment.

“Whether it’s building or RMA [Resource Management Act] reform, these changes are vital to help councils enable development efficiently.”

On Monday, Davenport said he was aware of the review, and the board and management along with a range of stakeholders would be interviewed as part of the process.

“This is a standard review that the council is required to undertake periodically.”

A look inside the new Venture Timaru offices in the former Union Bank building.

He said Venture Timaru had supported the council in creating the terms of reference for the review and described it as a constructive opportunity to ensure the current delivery model for economic development and tourism was fit for purpose.

“It’s important for public entities to be periodically evaluated to ensure they are delivering value and meeting community expectations … [The] council has completed similar internal reviews of various departments over the last 12 to 18 months, and now it’s our turn.”

Asked if he held any concerns about the review, Davenport said he was “confident in the work Venture Timaru has been doing and the value we add across our economic development and visitor attraction areas of focus”.

There has even been a call for the entity to be brought back in-house, a move suggested by mayoral candidate Stu Piddington in the lead-up to last month’s local body elections.

Venture Timaru is now located at the south end of Stafford St in the ground floor of the former Union Bank Building.

Piddington, who lost the mayoralty but won a third term as a Timaru councillor, floated the idea during an interview with South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce chief executive Wendy Smith.

He said every council had a similar organisation and questioned if Timaru was running its “differently enough”.

“Are we doing something that someone else is? Otherwise, we’re just the rat on the treadmill going round and round.”

He said the council needed to ensure money was well spent.

It has been more than five years since the district council voted to move its tourism function back under the wing of its economic development agency.

In February 2020, Aoraki Tourism was moved back under the umbrella of Aoraki Development less than a year after they had been moved back in-house.

A few months later, in July 2020, the entity was rebranded Venture Timaru.