Customer Profile

Timaru District covers 2,737 square kilometres of South Canterbury. Two rivers naturally define its northern and southern boundaries, the Rangitata and Pareora, with the district stretching along the gentle curve of the South Canterbury coastline. The district enjoys a temperate climate, with Timaru enjoying an annual average of 1,826 hours of sunshine and 573mm of rain.

Timaru District recorded a slight population increase to just over 46,000 at the 2018 Census. Around 80% of Timaru District residents live in or around the four main settlements – Timaru, Temuka, Geraldine and Pleasant Point.

The Timaru economy is strongly influenced by its agricultural heritage. Agriculture is diverse, including dairy, sheep and deer farming and land suitable for all kinds of grains and seeds. Significant manufacturing operations are located in the district, including Fonterra’s Clandeboye dairy factory, McCain’s food processing plant, DB Mainland Breweries, NZ Light Leathers, Alliance Group Smithfield plant, Silver Fern Farms Pareora plant and Barkers Fruit Processors. The district is centrally located for distribution and PrimePort provides a gateway for exports and imports.

Visitors are also a significant contributor to the district’s economy, with the district providing a gateway to the central South Island.

The Challenge:

Timaru District Council previously used siloed and manual processes to manage community and sporting facility bookings. This resulted in:
• Double bookings and poor visibility
• Admin burden on internal teams
• Confusion for residents and groups trying to book spaces

The Solution:

The Council implemented Bookable to unify booking processes across teams and improve self-service access for the community:
• Centralised booking management
• Community-friendly public portal
• Real-time visibility for staff across teams
• Streamlined internal workflows and reduced duplication

The Results:

Key outcomes included:
• Increased community bookings due to simplified online access
• Faster response times and improved customer satisfaction
• Better data for investment decisions (e.g. facility upgrades)
• Empowered parks, finance, and health & safety teams with shared access
• Staff saved hours per week previously spent on manual processing

What’s Next?

Following the successful rollout across community venues, Timaru District Council will extend Bookable to support additional services, including:
• Cemeteries – digitising the booking and scheduling of burial plots to streamline internal workflows, improve coordination with funeral directors, and ensure accurate record-keeping.
• Infrastructure Planning – using real-time booking data to identify facility gaps and justify investment decisions (e.g. lighting upgrades, new sports fields).
• Wider Digitisation – replacing legacy manual systems in other departments to create a unified, consistent booking experience across council.