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Three and a half years, 367 participants, and 29 Destination Management Plans in action, Regional Tourism New Zealand is wrapping up its Destination Management Capability contract with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
The programme, which started in 2021 amidst COVID-19, has focussed on equipping Regional Tourism Organisations to lead the way in ensuring that tourism in New Zealand continues to deliver long-term value for communities, the environment and the country’s economy.
RTNZ chair David Perks says the programme has been instrumental championing sustainable tourism management in New Zealand.
“The knowledge and learnings gained through the programme set an excellent foundation for the next phase of tourism in New Zealand. As we continue to rebuild post-COVID and support the government’s goal to double exports, it’s important we retain our destination stewardship approach, social license to operate and focus on enhancing our environment.
“The DMPs set out our communities’ aspirations for tourism, and pathway to a sustainable, productive and resilient sector, and RTOs are the pillars of this approach, facilitating and coordinating these plans,” he says.
The programme has included guiding the development and implementation of each region’s DMP, an online learning and engagement platform, extensive coaching and mentoring, benchmarking, and a professional development programme entitled Te Ūnga Mai, designed to build RTOs’ knowledge and skills of a holistic destination stewardship approach.
Consisting of four wānanga and 19 online modules, Te Ūnga Mai has brought together 367 individuals from RTOs from across the motu, 113 national and international speakers,11 guest delegates from Pacific Island nations, and national partners such as Tourism New Zealand, Tourism Industry Aotearoa, New Zealand Māori Tourism and the Department of Conservation.
RTNZ’s director destination management Kiri Goulter says New Zealand’s achievement of every region developing a DMP, alongside Te Ūnga Mai, represents a global milestone.
“This investment and the impact of the programme is considered world-leading and has changed the face of regional tourism in New Zealand. This is something we can all be proud of,” she says.
The work has been recognised at home for its excellence winning a New Zealand Tourism Award in 2022 for Industry Collaboration, as well by being asked to contribute as a destination stewardship thought-leader at global events such as the Destinations International Convention in the United States in 2023, the Global Experts Innovation Lab in the United States in 2023, and OECD Forums in Paris and Vienna in 2024.
“However, maintaining New Zealand’s destination management approach requires ongoing commitment and resourcing. Such fantastic progress and achievements have been made and we must find a way of continuing this work in the future for the good of New Zealand,” says Kiri.
“Long-term investment into our destinations to realise community and industry aspirations, and ensure we deliver compelling propositions, is essential for the sustainable growth of the sector.”
The positive impact of the capability programme has been keenly felt by those at the grassroots of this change for the betterment of their people and places.
“Te Ūnga Mai came at a critical time for us and quickly became the catalyst for developing the skills and capability required to design and accelerate many of the actions identified within our Destination Management Plan,” says Venture Taranaki general manager destination Brylee Flutey.
“Te Ūnga Mai will leave a legacy within our RTO network, and on our nation’s tourism landscape, with learnings, and insights permeating beyond RTOs, to our industry at large, influencing our national visitor experience, and positioning in a global competitive marketplace. It should not be underestimated the impact the important role that Te Ūnga Mai has played in the future success of our industry.”
RTNZ extends its heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has joined them on this journey.
“We’d like to first and foremost acknowledge our RTOs, whose passion and dedication to this evolution in mindset and ethos has been outstanding, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment without whom we could not achieved the phenomenal results we have,” says David.
“We’d also like to thank our Te Ūnga Mai speakers, Pacific Islands whānau, our national sector partners, local government stakeholders, and lastly the communities each RTO serves – who are the reason we are working so hard to building a better tourism future.”
The end of the contract also sees Kiri completing her time with RTNZ. A long-standing member of the tourism community in New Zealand, Kiri joined RTNZ in 2021 to spearhead the contract having previously developed New Zealand’s Destination Management Guidelines as an adviser at MBIE.
David says the leadership and depth of knowledge Kiri has brought to the programme has been outstanding.
“We cannot thank Kiri enough for her incredible commitment to helping our regions across New Zealand. The passion she has for RTOs and the work we do has been appreciated by our members and industry colleagues. She has been an exceptional advocate for this important work, and we have been extremely fortunate to have her on the team.
“The leadership, knowledge and guidance she has provided throughout the programme has been world-class and we wish her the very best for her next endeavours,” he says.
