Registrations Open for the World Indigenous Tourism Summit!

We look forward to welcoming you to the World Indigenous Tourism Summit and hosting you at the Copthorne Bay of Islands, Aotearoa New Zealand, 15-18 April 2018.

A prestigious line up of speakers will give attendees unique insights into how they have integrated traditional knowledge into experiences for tourists, the opportunities communities have taken to grow tourism and the challenges ahead of us as guardians of our ancestral landscape. 

To register and to view our programme outline for the World Indigenous Tourism Summit click here

Tourism Export Council Conference

The Hawke's Bay, a region renowned for good weather, art deco, food and wine, will be hosting this year's Tourism Export Council Conference on 8-9 August 2018. 

With the theme Future-Proofing our Industry; a draft programme has been put up on the website, alternatively you can view it here. A more detailed and crafted version highlighting guest speakers and workshops will replace this in early April when registrations open.

Minimum wage rises by 75c on 1 April 2018

The minimum wage is going up from $15.75 to $16.50 per hour. Here’s what you’ll need to know for your business.

The new minimum wage rates are:

• Adult — $16.50 an hour
• Starting-out — $13.20 an hour (up from $12.60)
• Training — $13.20 an hour (up from $12.60)

Starting-out and training minimum wages are 80% of the adult minimum wage.

Check out the world's first AR-enabled Māori alphabet colouring book

Stories about efforts to save Te Reo Māori and pass it on to a new generation are nothing new. This story is different. This is the story of how augmented reality (AR) could preserve – and help grow – a language. In other words: new things preserving old things.

Aotearoa start-up Titan Ideas has launched an augmented reality (AR) app, called Zippy's 3D Colouring App, that takes kids on adventures through educational cultural stories.

Ok, so by itself that might not be earth-shatteringly newsworthy. But consider this: it’s the world’s first AR-enabled Māori alphabet colouring "book."

The race to become the next Great Walk is on

A multi-day walk on Mt Taranaki could join Milford, Routeburn and Heaphy tracks on the list of internationally renowned Great Walks within New Zealand's national parks.

A proposal from economic development agency Venture Taranaki a include the three to four day walking route in Egmont National Park, at a cost of $7.1 million, has been included on a shortlist to choose two new Great Walks.

The Mt Taranaki proposal was among 30 suggested routes - 20 in the North Island and 10 in the South Island - submitted to a seven person independent panel, representing Federated Mountain Clubs, New Zealand Recreation Association, New Zealand Māori Tourism, Tourism New Zealand, Air New Zealand, Tourism Industry Aotearoa, and the Department of Conservation to consider in December.

Tourism Data Domain Plan - Stakholder Workshop

The purpose of the Tourism Data Domain Plan is to achieve clarity and agreement from government and industry stakeholders about the main priorities for tourism statistics, and provide the strategy for addressing these priorities over the next five to eight years. 

It is intended that the 2018 Domain Plan will give:

•         A long-term picture of what is required to improve official statistics

•         A coordinated plan for addressing data issues

•         A cross-agency approach to long-term priorities

·         A framework for determining the highest priority information needs.

Attending a workshop will ensure you, and your organisation’s, views are heard as we work towards a plan for determining the highest priorities for tourism statistics and how tourism statistics and data can be improved.

We are seeking feedback from tourism industry and government stakeholders. Workshops will be held in Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown, Dunedin, Auckland, and Rotorua in March.

Attendance is free. For further information, please email TR_SharedMailbox@mbie.govt.nz

Te Hono ki Aotearoa

Ahead of the New Zealand Festival opening night waka odyssey on Wellington Harbour, the National Library, Toi Māori and the Dutch Embassy have come together to present a film tracing an extraordinary intercultural partnership. Te Kono ki Aotearoa follows the journey of a waka taua hewn from a 600 year old Kauri and ceremonially gifted, on permanent loan, to the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden, Holland.
Date: 20 Febrary, National Library, Wellington.
Contact: events.natlib@dia.govt.nz