Domain job to tender

By Mary Anne Gill

Waipā District Council will go to the market to find a company to provide onsite management at its Lake Karāpiro events venue.

GL Events Ltd, owned by deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk and her husband Andrew Reymer, has provided the service for 19 years and is into the last year of a six-year contract.

In a report to council’s Finance and Corporate committee this week – after The News went to press –Property Services manager Chris Ryan said the domain was a legal reserve vested in the council.

“Priority is given for recreation and sporting activities for the physical welfare and enjoyment of the community. There is limited ability to charge for services at the domain which means that council retains responsibility for funding access to services,” he reported.

Procuring a management service – as it has done with GL Events – ensured a highquality standard of service delivery and community engagement.

By putting the contract out to tender, the process would invite competitive bids on the open market.

Hamilton-based The Property Group will handle the tender for council. A procurement plan will be finalised by March 1, consultation take place with Mana Whenua and a contract updated by the end of March. A request for tender would go to the market in early April and close on April 28. The new contract runs from July 1.

Stolwyk’s involvement with Karāpiro Domain predates her election as a councillor in 2016. Each term she has declared her conflict of interest and obtained approval from the Office of the Auditor General to continue her involvement at the domain.

In her GL Events report to the finance committee, Stolwyk said the Mighty River-sponsored domain was recognised as an international, domestic and local event centre and had recovered to pre Covid operating levels.

Stolwyk said the bounce back after Covid highlighted how inadequate the accommodation was for the corporate and recreational market.

Traffic management is another issue.

“Traffic management has moved from something domain staff could handle in house but now has become so complex it is moving behind our original scope as domain management.

Deputy chief executive Ken Morris told the committee Stolwyk’s suggestions “resonate with officers”. Council staff would work to identify, assess and implement solutions.