Posts Tagged ‘sustainability’
NZx – August 22nd: A social license to operate
Naumai
Continued growth in New Zealand tourism is raising questions over it’s social license to operate. As Tourism Aotearoa states ” Tourism will only achieve our Tourism 2025 aspirational goal if we maintain and enhance our social licence to operate. We are encouraging tourism operators to recognise the importance of growing their businesses in a way which balances the economic, social and environmental impacts.”
There is no widely accepted definition of a social license to operate (SLO). However a recent paper by the Sustainable Business Council suggests key attributes include:
Ka kite ano
Just what is tourism’s social license to operate in NZ?
NZx – June 29th: water, water everywhere…..
Naumai
Water, water everywhere so whats the issue…….?
A recent visit to Waireinga/Bridal Veil Falls, revealed a deeply discoloured waterway, with warning signs about the quality of the water, and danger to swimmers. Standing in the midst of 217 ha Wairēinga Scenic Reserve, surrounded by tawa-dominated forest, watching the water flow over 55 metres basalt cliffs, one wonders how this could happen in New Zealand.
There is good work being done in parts of the catchment. Over 8kms of native planting in an area upstream of the waterfall has been completed as part of a local initiative coordinated by Whaingaroa Harbour Care.
Water is already to be established as a key component of this years elections. A recent survey by Lincoln University (8th Public Perceptions of New Zealand’s Environment) canvassed New Zealander’s views about aspects of the environment .
The worst managed environments were perceived to be rivers, lakes, and groundwater, largely on account of very negative perceptions concerning the management of farm effluent and runoff. In fact, nearly 60 percent of respondents deemed farming to be one of the three main causes of damage to freshwater.
In a separate report, Our fresh water environment 2017, found nearly three quarters of native freshwater fish species are threatened by or at risk of extinction, as well as a third of native freshwater invertebrates and a third of native freshwater plants.
All of these reports raise the current issues, but also note the lack of data, and that the snapshot doesn’t take into account the slow movement through aquifers – such as those in Canterbury. The real impact on communities in these area may take many years to surface.
Both New Zealand’s leading export industries, tourism and farming, need to better manage their social license to operate in the environmental space. Water quality, the wider environment and sustainability are discussions (and subsequent actions) that need to form a key part of the this years conversations.
Ka kite ano
Waireinga/Bridal Veil Falls
NZx March 25th: the pace of change
Naumai
There is no doubt that the pace of change in New Zealand tourism is continuing to grow: everywhere you look there are more visitors out there experiencing what NZ has to offer. A recent trip to the West Coast confirmed that. Even a site like Oparara http://www.karameainfo.co.nz/oparara-basin/ was very busy.
Some of the tourism issues have or are being well debated. Issues such as freshwater, overcrowding at key sites, climate change and visitor levy’s are all part of the current “conversation”.
On a broader level, but very closely aligned with increasing tourism, a number of issues were highlighted last year by Jan Wright, Commissioner for the Environment. Wright raised four key issues: climate change, slow progress in marine protection, lack of trees on unstable hill country, and concerns over the future of our wildlife.
She made the interesting point that environmental issues, rather than separate domains (air, land, marine, climate and fresh water), should form the basis of the shared story. This more holistic approach makes common sense.
Wright’s comments reflect the split in the key debates, and lack of an holistic approach, being canvassed over NZ tourism, the environment and business.
Mayor Goff’s accommodation tax being one such initiative.
A wider, holstic example is the recent study identifying Rakiura’s Port Pegasus for a potential new salmon farming enterprise http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/90883538/Stewart-Island-chosen-for-possible-new-aquaculture-project . This central-government funded programme involves Ngai Tahu, the Department of Conservation, the Ministry for the Environment, the Ministry of Primary Industries and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Sorry – where is tourism in that mix? Its unbelievable that tourism opportunities are currently heavily restricted in Pegasus yet an industry with doubtful environmental credentials is being supported.
NZ tourism is entering a sensitive phase, particularly in regard to the potential effects on local communities of such growth and the shutting out of potential added value tourism opportunities.
Ka kite ano
Malcolm
Visitors on Rakiura/Stewart Island
NZx January 27th: Northland / Te Tai Tokerau
Naumai
Northland /Te Tai Tokerau is a fantastic place. There are many icons to visit here; Tane Mahuta, Russell, Waitangi, Cape Reinga or any beach with golden sands, pohutakawa and sparking blue sea.
A recent visit to Northland enabled us to spend some time exploring both the icons and the back roads.
The icons are all there, service was mostly good but some of the infrastructure was looking decidedly tired and away from the icons – empty. Most of the tourism entities were either staffed by Caucasian or international transients. While hyped up with great marketing the cultural interaction was limited, oversold and didn’t address many of the basics of great visitor experiences.
Beyond the icons it wasn’t to hard to find another story. Hints of elitism, exclusion and then poverty and well… another world one which most New Zealanders aren’t aware of..
It’s sometimes useful to look beyond our initial impressions, and to reflect on how tourism could provide a positive contribution to all in it’s community.
Ka kite ano
Tane Mahuta – a Northland / Te Tai Tokerau icon
NZx October 14th : Crunch summer ahead
Naumai
All the indications are that this will be a crunch summer for tourism in New Zealand.
Reports suggest many accommodation providers are full, attractions run the risk of turning people away and transport providers (particularly rental providers) have invested in new stock.
The likelihood is that international visitors will be here in increasing numbers, particularly in iconic locations. Will that create a problem with New Zealand domestic visitors seeking the relatively uncrowded experience they have been accustomed too?
Ship Cove/Meretoto in Queen Charlotte Sound is a case in point. Easily accessible by scheduled boat services, private vessel and some international cruise ships, the iconic site maybe under threat from sheer numbers this summer. The track (and it certainly isn’t of a great standard) is often quiet but from November to March that changes. At any one time the narrow track can be full of visitors, both domestic and international, throughout the day. At what stage is the visitor experience compromised?
Solutions to this “nice to have” problem are complex. Tourism New Zealand is moving to focus marketing efforts on the shoulder season, the conversation around taxing international visitors is gaining momentum and both traditional media and social media are focusing on the opportunities.
Ka kite ano
Ship Cove / Meretoto, Marlborough Sounds
NZx 15th November : Cruized
Naumai
One has to “admire” the persistence of the public relations machine that surrounds big ship cruising.
Trumpets sounding the largest cruise ship ever to visit New Zealand arrived in Dunedin yesterday. The constant lobbying of the sector for improved facilities for their clients is paramount. The large cruise ships arrive, spend hours shipping their passengers ashore, spend even longer shipping them away from the local community to some far off attraction, spend hours shipping their passengers back on board, then leave.
In contrast, small ships such as the Oceanic Discoverer (max capacity 72 passengers) are in a different space. Spending 12 nights exploring New Zealand they visit, and stay, in regional ports and in local anchorages. Exploration ships such as these require no facilities: other than a port visit once in the middle and at the beginning and end of their 12 night cruise.
There are no casinos, live shows or in many cases television. The “entertainment” are the guest lecturers or expedition leaders. The subjects: New Zealand inc. They use local operators and often allow passengers to arrange their own evening meal ashore.
They don’t lobby for expensive on-shore facilities where they do stop. All they simply need is a wharf and gangplank.
Surely this is a better long term sustainable outcome for NZ tourism than 5,000 people dumped amongst a bunch of logs miles from a city.
It’s a little like the Chinese market.Quick, get the masses in don’t worry about the long-term sustainability of the sector, or the industry. In fact it is deja-vu. We have all been through this with the Korean market not so long ago.
Think what happened to the large ship cruise market in Alaska. The effects that I have seen with my own eyes on small communities, the environment and the costly facilities built, linger on. Search the web for impacts of large cruise ships…….
The large cruise ship market is fickle. One day New Zealand Inc won’t be flavour of the month.
Ka kite ano
Malcolm
the way of the future – sustainable small cruise ship exploring