Panning for support for small town events

Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith was delighted to find five flakes of gold while prospecting in the Cardrona River near Wanaka yesterday, but it was not enough to satisfy his fellow prospector, Waitaki MP Miles Anderson.

"Not enough to clear the national debt, but it is a start," Mr Anderson quipped.

Five flakes were also not enough to cover the estimated $300,000 budget for organising the World Gold Panning Championships in Central Otago 2026.

Championship organisers Terry Davis and Odette Hopgood estimated they could be worth "about twenty cents".

However, when considering the annual Goldfields Cavalcade provided about $1.5million for the local economy, hosting the world championships would be a "big, big deal" for the district, so they were keen to get Mr Goldsmith’s endorsement of small-town culture and heritage events.

National panning championships had been hosted in Central Otago for 33 years.

About 500 international panners would be competing in the 2026 event, bringing families and supporters with them.

Tourism itineraries were being planned for the participants and the panners would parade in national costumes in the 2026 Blossom Festival parade in Alexandra.

After successfully teaching Mr Goldsmith and Mr Anderson to pan in the Cardrona River, Mr Davis admitted he had "salted" their soil.

"That’s a nice little fleck ... We should tell you now we planted that gold because we wanted to make sure you got some," he said.

However, some flakes had a duller gleam than others. That, Ms Hopgood said, was "wild gold" that had come from the river.

Mr Goldsmith said the World Gold Panning Championships would be "a huge opportunity to combine those wonderful things like gold, the importance of that industry, the heritage and the stories about New Zealand’s history in gold and the opportunity to attract a whole lot of tourists to the country".

Asked by the Otago Daily Times if the championships fitted with the government’s pending arts, culture and heritage strategy, Mr Goldsmith replied "I think it links with two core elements."

"One is to increase the level of engagement of New Zealanders in the broader cultural space ...

"The second part is how do we make a living? ... Tourism is part of that — things that attract visitors to the country who come in and invest."

The Otago Daily Times also asked if the government would consider investing in the world championships.

"I can’t make a commitment here today but I think there are various funds, although they are under pressure, and I certainly encourage starting the conversations for sponsorship from the industry," Mr Goldsmith said.