Global Geoparks Network Association vice-president Dr Ibrahim Komoo visited the Unesco Waitaki Whitestone Geopark last week.
Dr Komoo, who is Malaysian, was in the area on a private holiday but took the opportunity to see the Waitaki sites in a tour with manager Lynley Browne and trustee Mike Gray.
The Waitaki Whitestone Geopark came into being in November 2023 and is the only one in Australasia.
Dr Komoo said it was crucial for newer geoparks to be supported by local councils from the start.
"In the beginning, the local council, the district, should pay for the management of the geopark.
"You cannot expect people to pay, you cannot expect the community to pay for the management of the geopark because the geopark is for everybody, for the local community.
"If they can pay for so many other infrastructure, why don’t they pay a little bit for the management of the geopark?"
The most important aspect of a geopark was translating the geological sites into stories, Dr Komoo said.
"We have to tell people [for them] to appreciate it, otherwise, it’s just a cliff.
"If the rocks are, say, 10 million years old, they keep a record of 10m years of stories there.
Waitaki mayor Gary Kircher said the park as an entity was "very much separate from council now".
"There was some work in kind that we were providing. That’s been reduced right back, and the funding was cut back significantly over the last couple of years."
However, the council’s proposed 2025-34 long-term plan includes a proposal to massively increase funding to the geopark.
It contributed about $30,000 a year, he said.
"What we’re proposing is increasing that to $200,000 a year for, I think, a couple of years.
"We need them to be sustainable to reduce reliance on ratepayers long-term, but this is important for the district," Mr Kircher said.
Mr Komoo enjoyed the visit to Waitaki with his family and described the entire South Island as "one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world".
Ms Browne said it was "an exceptional opportunity" to learn from someone with Dr Komoo’s experience.
"It’s a real privilege and we also know that we’ll continue to get learnings from [his visit].
"He will also be able to see where the opportunities for us [are] and help us link with other geoparks where we can learn from them."
