The district council’s proposed 2025-34 Long Term Plan has a $2.3million budget for a Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Discovery Hub.
It is also proposing $600,000 for geopark operations encompassing the 2025-20 financial years.
This has stirred some debate on social media in North Otago in recent weeks.
Some are questioning outright if Waitaki actually needs the geopark.
The Waitaki Whitestone Geopark is the only one in Australasia.
It has prestigious recognition by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), although that is subject to periodic review around set criteria befitting its status.
Last week, Global Geoparks Network Association vice-president Dr Ibrahim Komoo made a private visit to Waitaki.
He told the Oamaru Mail it was crucial newer geoparks be supported by local councils at the formative stage.
The geopark was promulgated and officially recognised by Unesco in November 2023.
This week, Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher said the potential for it to promote all that made Waitaki distinctive was still huge.
"The potential hasn’t disappeared, in the opportunity to promote the various aspects that sit under it," he said.
It had emerged out of the district grappling with comments from visitors "not knowing" what is here — something that still posed a challenge.
Finding a way to draw people to the area remained in the council’s sights, "whether it is for the geopark or something specific".
Mr Kircher described the geopark concept as "an umbrella" encompassing the district’s important features.
That included Oamaru’s distinctive limestone built heritage and much more.
The concept had been given initial operational support because the district needed a good vehicle to garner wider attention.
"The challenge [of that] has been forever.
"We’re actually quite spoilt for choice of what we have.
"The geopark was seen as a very good vehicle of all that we have."
Tourism Waitaki had initially picked up the idea to promote the various sites.
Mr Kircher said many of its obvious features, such as Moeraki, were already well visited and recognised for their cultural story.
It included many others like the Clay Cliffs at Omarama and "the story behind" the stone buildings of Oamaru.
"The stories are part of the geopark — what they’re built of are a story for the geopark."
An umbrella concept had been seen as a good solution "to that marketing problem we had of the past" for the district to tell its "own story".
Waitaki had initially backed a geopark believing some central government funding would emerge, he said.
"Unfortunately that hasn’t happened."
Mr Kircher said what was in the LTP was a proposal.
"The proposal is simply that — we’ve asked for feedback on that."
In the meantime, work under the Waitaki story for district and locality-based signs would include the geopark.
Submissions to the 2025-34 LTP closed this week. Public LTP hearings start on March 17, with council deliberations set for the end of the month.
