Changing of the guard at DHC

The Regional Tourism Organisation, Destination Hauraki Coromandel Trust (DHC), welcomed five new trustees, signalling the next chapter for the visitor industry. A handover took place between the outgoing board members and DHC Trust settlors, Thames Coromandel District Council (TCDC) and Hauraki District Council (HDC), on Thursday, 20th February.

The new trustees bring a mix of skills in governance, tourism, sustainability, and regional development, setting DHC up to navigate future opportunities and challenges with confidence.

• Jason Hill, Board Chair: A tourism sector veteran with 25 years of governance and senior management experience, both domestically and internationally.

• Ella Zhang, Deputy Chair: An expert in regional tourism and economic development, with significant contributions to sustainability initiatives and community engagement.

• Kristin Dunne: A seasoned tourism strategist and Fellow of Marketing, with leadership experience in destination stewardship and global tourism consultancy.

• Jo Malcolm: A business coach with an accountancy background and 24 years of consulting expertise, specialising in cultural and structural transformation across various sectors, including tourism.

• Clare Bradley: CEO of the award-winning AgriSea, with extensive governance experience and a strong focus on sustainability and Māori business leadership.

The tourism industry is often regarded as an early adopter of innovative approaches that seek to deliver sustainable outcomes while championing the unique culture of Aotearoa New Zealand. The attributes of the new board will support this focus, building on the culture and foundations left by outgoing trustees John Sandford, Tony Coombe, and Scott Lee.

The retiring trustees, led by outgoing chair John Sandford, were strong advocates for the tourism industry in recent years. The support received in the wake of the global pandemic and the 2023 cyclones has highlighted the importance of tourism and the future potential of Hauraki Coromandel.

Pictured (left to right): John Sandford, Kristin Dunne, Ella Zhang, Jo Malcolm, Jason Hill, Scott Lee, Tony Coombe. Absent: Clare Bradley (joined by zoom).

TNZ Connect Event – Key Takeaways

The Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) Connect event was held in Auckland last week, bringing together all of New Zealand’s Regional Tourism Organisations (RTO) for one-on-one meetings with 14 different teams from TNZ. It was a valuable opportunity to connect with TNZ and other RTOs, gain insights into their strategies, and provide updates on the Hauraki Coromandel region.

Here are the key takeaways:

• Strong focus on sustainability – International visitors are particularly interested in what operators and regions are doing in this space and are actively choosing operators committed to sustainability.
• Year-round tourism – TNZ is working to position New Zealand as an all-season destination, with a strong push to grow travel in the shoulder seasons and winter.
• Trending themes – Trending visitor themes are dark sky experiences, authentic culture, off-peak travel highlights, accessible tourism, and agri-tourism (e.g., immersive farm stays and paddock-to-plate experiences).
• The value of Qualmark – TNZ reinforced the benefits of Qualmark accreditation, including increased opportunities for famils, trade, media exposure, and campaign involvement, as well as improved visibility on NewZealand.com.

Australia Campaign - "Everyone must go"

Businesses from Hauraki Coromandel have started to load packages and deals to newzealand.com. Don't forget to load your details to leverage the campaign that seeks to grow bookings during March, April and May.

Login to your business account in the Tourism Business Database.  Select Deals from the top toolbar and create your Deal.  It can be previewed to the right of the page as you do this.

If you don’t have access to the account, please email register@tnz.govt.nz and TNZ will send you instructions on how to get this.

Please include ‘Autumn Deal’ in the first title line and choose ‘Submit for Approval’ at the base of the section when you’re ready to submit.