Creating eventful rural towns: Insights from Geraldine, Timaru District, New Zealand

Abstract

This paper reports part of a New Zealand case study of rural transformation, with a particular focus on the role of events in small town regeneration. Our objective in this paper is to engage with and advance very recent ideas about the creation and management of ‘event portfolios’ (Ziakas, 2010; 2013; 2014) which involve the strategic development of a repertoire of interrelated local events. A portfolio approach to events can substantially enrich a rural destination’s tourism product, enhance its image and redress seasonality by offering events of different types and scales throughout the year (Ziakas & Costa, 2011). Event portfolios are a relatively new but growing phenomenon in small town New Zealand. The site of our case study is Geraldine (population 2301) which is located in Timaru District of the South Island. For over three decades the town’s ‘main event’ has been the annual Geraldine Arts and Plants Festival which has provided the impetus for positive community interaction while also serving as a drawcard for visitors. In very recent years, the Geraldine community has developed a set of new events which are strategically spread across the calendar year, with the aim of generating both positive social and economic outcomes. The town’s new event portfolio includes the flagship Arts and Plants Festival and the: Geraldine Summer Fete; UkeFest Geraldine; Geraldine Winter Lights Festival; ANZAC in Action; GoGeraldine Christmas Parade; Geraldine Multi-Challenge; Geraldine Christmas at the Races; and the Geraldine Future Living Festival. The challenges of creating and managing Geraldine’s event portfolio will be discussed.