| 127 T T Sue Russell Top spot, top people Ōhope Beach Top 10 Holiday Park is situated on the Ōhope split, with the ocean on one side and the harbour on the other, some 15 minutes drive from Whakatane. Below, Ian and Vicki Smith, now take on more of a mentorship role. RECREATION Ōhope Beach Top 10 Holiday Park Daniel Smith is one of the team of Operation Managers working at Ōhope’s famous Top 10 Holiday Park, sitting alongside a beach regularly voted as the best in New Zealand. Running a holiday park is very much in the blood as Daniel explains. “My parents have been engaged in the industry for decades now, so the children have been brought up in the way of life operating a busy holiday park is all about,” Daniel says. Dad, Ian Smith’s contribution to the sector has deservedly been recognised last year with the HPANZ (Holiday Park Association of New Zealand) ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Holiday Park Industry Award’, sponsored by Top 10. The award recognises year’s of giving back to the industry, mentoring and supporting other operators new to the sector, adding value and depth to the burgeoning holiday park sector in New Zealand. “Dad certainly deserves this recognition and was thrilled and humbled to receive it from his peers in the association.” Daniel has oversight of the park’s day to day operation and house-keeping side of things and lives on site. He works most days at the holiday park the family gained in March 2021, right in the time when COVID changed the way we all worked and lived. “There were vaccine passes and a degree of uncertainty as to what the future would hold for us. Dad and Mum, Vicki, operated the iconic Waihi Beach Holiday Park from 1996 and have been in the industry nearly 30 years now.” Daughter Aimee is General Manager and today Ian and Vicki take on more of a mentorship role. Daniel says he aspires to having his own park one day and so, too, does Aimee. Ōhope Beach Top 10 Holiday Park is situated on the Ōhope split, with the ocean on one side and the harbour on the other, some 15 minutes drive from Whakatane. For those less used to Holiday Park life, it may be a bit of an eye-opener to see the array of facilities the park now offers – swimming pools, private spas and saunas, a games room and movie room, a giant moview screen, BMX track, basketball and volleyball spaces, to name a few. All these facilities mean that families, many of who have visited generation on generation have everything they would wish to do, from very active days to sitting back, catching up with familiar faces and sharing stories. Asked just how many people can comfortably stay on the 23 acre site, Daniel says at peak up to 2,500 guests can stay in a range of accommodation options. “It’s really like a small town in itself, with 118 non powered and 400 powered sites. We also offer an annual concession programme for 42 caravans to remain on site each year. A holiday camp which stretches back as far as Ōhope Beach has a colourful history to share. It was founded by Ken England and his family on a different site to where it is today. The family eventually packed the park up and shifted it to its current site on the spit and owned it for many years. “Ken goes right back to the founding of the Top 10 Holiday Park association some 40 years ago.” Other owners came and went and when ‘Surf and Sand’; a conference and wedding centre which had its conference wing destroyed by a tornado, the decision was made by Ian and Vicki to buy the two grounds and combine them into one. Each owner has invested in new infrastructure and facilities, leaving their mark on the park. In the case of the Smith family, heavy investment was made in developing the spa, sauna and soak pool. Asked what aspirations lie ahead to create new facilities, Daniel says plans are evolving to create more roofed accommodation, a gym and to give the playground an upgrade. The way Daniel speaks of his parents role in nurturing the Holiday Park sector New Zealand wide, you can sense his pride. “There’s really no way of knowing just how far and wide the support Mum and Dad gave to others reached. Dad really values that in all the time he was away working for the association and visiting other operators, it was Mum who kept the park ticking over; something we all acknowledge and value.” There are 48 Top 10 Holiday Park’s spread around the country. The association they each belong to and are shareholders of, provides valuable information sharing and a focus on pushing forward with strategic new development. Technology that’s aligned with your business Reliability, performance, scalability, security and manageability: that’s what you’re looking for in your IT systems. And our tech support team knows how to make it happen. 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