Pania's Pānui

There has been a lot of interesting reports come out of TRENZ this week, the team and I are making our way through them and they certainly provide lots to think about. 

I will be in Malaysia next week as part of a Ministerial delegation, while other members of the team will be meeting with many of you in the regions. Senior staff and the Board of NZ Māori Tourism will be in Northland in late May for their quarterly meeting, and they are looking forward to catching up with many of you while there. If you're a Māori tourism business in Northland you should have received an invite from us, if not, please call Lee on 04 474 4682.

Tonight we celebrate the achievements of our friends and colleagues at the Māori Business Awards. Congratulations to all the nominees and finalists!

Nga mihi, na,

Pania and the team at NZ Māori Tourism

Budget 2017 Announcements

Tourism Minister Paula Bennett this week announced a new $102 million Tourism Infrastructure Fund which has been launched alongside $76 million in new funding for our most important tourism asset, the DOC Estate.

The Tourism Infrastructure Fund will provide $100 million over the next four years in partnership with local councils and other community organisations, for projects like new carparks, toilets and freedom camping facilities.

"Government is funding tourism in a number of different ways. That’s why the Tourism Infrastructure Fund has been announced alongside a $76 million funding increase for DOC to upgrade and develop tourist facilities on conservation land and to expand the great walks network," Mrs Bennett says.

The fund is made up of $60.5 million in new money from Budget 2017 and $41.5 million in funds which have been reprioritised from the Tourism Growth Partnership and the Regional Mid-sized Tourism Facilities Grant Fund. Of that, $2 million over four years has been provided to manage the fund. 

Read more: Tourism Infrastructure package Q & A and Tourism Infrastructure Fund criteria, panel, and process.

Kei te mōhio rānei koe? (Did you know?)

New Zealand is rapidly becoming a sought after, premium destination for high value free independent travellers (FITs) from India, according to research released this week. by Auckland Airport. The report shows the number of Indian visitors arriving in New Zealand has surged 79 per cent over the past five years, with 53,424 visitors arriving in the country in the year ending February 2017 – half of whom came purely for a holiday.
 
Indian visitors already rank 10th amongst all nationalities that arrive in New Zealand annually, but the report suggests that India could be set to move up that list as New Zealand’s reputation as a welcoming and idyllic destination grows.

Te Nama o te wiki (Number of the week)

Guest nights in March 2017 dropped 3.1 percent compared with March 2016, as Easter moved from March last year to April this year, Stats NZ said this week. The Easter effect was most noticeable in domestic guest nights, which decreased 5.6 percent compared with the same month last year. This followed decreases in domestic guest nights in four of the last six months compared with the same month last year.

For the first time since October 2013, international guest nights did not increase from the same month of the previous year. The trend for international guest nights is decreasing.

Below are a selection of recent Instagram posts from around Aoteaora New Zealand using the hashtag #kiaora - we encourage manuhiri (visitors) to use #kiaora to showcase their experience with Māori tourism.

Nga Pānui (Notices)

If you have an announcement you'd like here, please email amy@maoritourism.co.nz for it to be included in the next edition of Newsline. It can be anything from a job position, exhibition opening, videos or photos featuring your business, new Māori tourism products, etc.

Ngāi Tahu Tourism launches jet boat mechanic training programme
Ngāi Tahu Tourism has launched a marine mechanic training programme at Shotover Jet, providing a unique opportunity for iwi members to build a career in the tourism industry. Working at one of the largest tourism operators in Aotearoa, the programme will offer the successful Ngāi Tahu applicant on-the-job training, guidance and support, while working towards a marine mechanic qualification.

TIME Unlimited Tours - Cultural ‘City to Cape’ Collection: “Realising the full potential our Maori Sixth Sense”
TIME Unlimited Tours is delighted to start the 2017 ‘Maori New Year’ with the launch of its inaugural itinerary for their Cultural ‘City to Cape’ Collection.  As part of its Winter TIME Collection, the new suite of tour products aptly named “Season of Matariki – A Star Journey” targets premium visitors from the North American, South American, Chinese and European markets who seek a fully integrated, seasonally themed Maori cultural experience.  These experiences range from one day, one way or multi day options throughout the culturally significant regions of Auckland and Northland. 

Lions Tour 2017
The Rugby 2017 Festival follows the matches from Host City to Host City, and gives you the chance to meet the people, see the sights and taste the flavours of our place. On the field the rivalry and traditions will play out, but between matches seek out the best of New Zealand and get close to what makes this country so special. We’ll be adding more great stuff to the programme right up until kick-off so keep checking or download the app to stay up with the play.