The news from TRENZ 2023

TRENZ 2023 is now underway, after kicking things off with a spectacular opening ceremony at Christchurch’s Te Pae Convention centre May 8.
And what a welcome.
With four days of buyer and seller appointments, media presentations, networking and activities, TRENZ 2023 has pulled out all the stops for this long awaited re gathering of international and national, buyers, sellers, sponsors and media.
Ngai Tūāhuriri supplied the formal welcoming to the 1500 masses and it was a stunning display of multicultural talent to awaken the senses- the theme for TRENZ 2023- tūhura, loosely translated to an awakening, or to uncover, which is exactly what TRENZ 2023 is about. From the beautiful pōwhiri to breakdancing, aerial skills and interpretive dance, it was a show of how resilient Christchurch has been in the wake of the pandemic and natural disasters.  
Day two, Tuesday, May 9, of TRENZ was jam packed. As media, much of our time has been spent in presentations and panels. Tuesday’s speakers and presentations were emceed by award winning journalist, Donna Marie Lever. TIA chief executive Rebecca Ingram opened by addressing New Zealand’s state of play, how things have changed and how TRENZ reflects and supports that.
Other speakers included ChristchurchNZ’s Ali Adams, who leads the city’s economic development agency. She spoke about how much the city has developed throughout the years including the continuing rebuild of Christchurch’s Cathedral, other city developments and upgrades like Cathedral square and infrastructure.
Scott Callaway, general manager of trade development at Christchurch Airport spoke of the airport’s current and future recovery and what the key pillars of Christchurch Airport- stronger businesses, Kaitaiki and enhancing customer journeys. He also spoke of a fourth pillar- the planet, and how the future of aviation has shaped the state of Christchurch Airport.
Jolander Cave, general manager of Ngāi Tahu Tourism spoke of the vision of tourism post-COVID and how visitors can contribute to the region and its well-being, followed by Cameron Hayes, Tiaki brand and Partnerships manager and spoke about marketing and behaviour changes in tourism to affect positive change. All speakers from the morning rounded off with a Q&A panel.
Following the end of the morning’s media presentations, a spectacular morning tea was ready and waiting, following a brief moment to gather our words and thoughts before being whisked away on our day’s media famil – a sensory experience with a strong focus on connections to all things, food, people and the land.
Wednesday, May 10, was another morning full of media presentations, opening again with TIA’s chief executive Rebecca Ingram speaking about resetting New Zealand’s tourism industry strategy and ‘where we are going from here’. Rebecca says “We are confidently stepping out into the future” and “enriching NZ throughout a flourishing tourism eco system”. A positive sign of times ahead.
Other speakers included Scott Tasker, Auckland Airport’s chief customer officer and his presentation on insights to aviation recovery. Scott says travel has a strong comeback and New Zealand is still highly desirable, a product of “hard work by the tourism sector”.
Tourism New Zealand chief executive René de Monchy spoke of enriching New Zealand and to all who visit and continuing to meet the needs of travellers and encouraging high quality visitors.
Greg Foran, Air New Zealand chief executive spoke of the sense of change in the business and how their network and capacity have recovered quicker than expected. Domestically, he says Air New Zealand is “back to pre-Covid levels” and says they have plans to “optimise their international network” while rebuilding their offshore marketing teams and adding back presence in key markets.
Tourism Minster, Hon Peeni Henare rounded off this morning’s presentations and spoke of the industry’s transformation plan and how strong the domestic market is that has continued to support the economy and operators across the country. Labour shortages is still part of ongoing challenges for the industry in addition to climate change.