Māori tour to the top of a New Zealand volcano - When NBA giant Steven Adams returned home to New Zealand this summer/winter (depending on your hemisphere) with an Oklahoma City Thunder contingent, he made a fast break for a volcano. Rangitoto Island is a magnificent volcanic landmark in the Hauraki Gulf just off Auckland’s east coast. It offers gentle(ish) hikes, lava caves and stunning views that reach to the Tasman Sea on Auckland’s other side. But Adams’s visit was no run-of-the-mill sightseeing jaunt; this tour was a meaningful experience steeped in Māori traditions. Read more here.

Tourism industry calls for debate on user charges to fund DOC - It’s time for a national debate on charging for access to attractions on the conservation estate, according to TIA. “This is not about stopping the ‘free and unfettered access’ that is enshrined in the Conservation Act, but providing the Department of Conservation with the tools to collect revenue to maintain and enhance the facilities it provides”. Read more here. 

Tourism Growth Partnership Round 5 Update - The Tourism Growth Partnership (TGP) is a Government initiative aimed at driving strategic changes required to overcome constraints to growth of the tourism sector and lift the value international tourism delivers to New Zealand. The Government has created two separate streams for TGP funding:
•    the Productivity and Innovation stream (TGP-I)
•    the Regional stream (TGP-R). Applications are open now, and close on 12 October. More details here.

Local elections 2016: Big topics in tourist town Rotorua - Homelessness, unemployment and infrastructure are key challenges facing one of the North Island's tourist hot spots. First-term mayor Steve Chadwick said Rotorua needed infrastructure to manage growth from out-of-towners as well as supporting sustainable tourism and attracting big events. Read more here.

New Māori Innovation Hub - The Innovation Hub at the Gracefield Innovation Quarter in Lower Hutt is a shared working space for Māori businesses, with tools to assist collaboration and innovation. Read more here.

How to handle customer feedback on social media - If someone posts a complaint on your business’s Facebook page or Twitter feed, how best to respond? Would you a) delete or ignore it b) discuss a possible resolution via comments on their post or c) thank them and make contact privately? Here’s how to turn feedback — good or bad — into an opportunity. Read more here.

New Zealand Tourism Investment Summit - The inaugural New Zealand - China Tourism Investment Summit will be held 31 October to 2 November 2016. The aim of the event is to explore how New Zealand providers can understand and target the visitors of tomorrow, as well as ensuring that the bourgeoning tourist market grows in a way that is sustainable. Read more and register here.

Asia Pacific Conference of German Business - the conference, catering for up to 800 attendees boasts an incredible line up of German and Asian political and business leaders, including New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay. Who should attend? – anyone wishing to meet with the heavy hitters of German and Asian business. Read more and register here.

Taking Care of Business: Government Supporting Your Business -  Whether it is through compliance, tax, surveys or trade and innovation, businesses spend a significant amount of time working with government agencies. The aim of 'Taking Care of Business' is to make it easier and more efficient for business owners to deal with government so they can focus on making their business a success.At these events, experts from several different agencies will outline government support available for businesses, discuss new legislation and how to comply, and answer any questions business owners might have. Upcoming events are in Northland, Wellington, Rotorua, Wairarapa, Blenheim, and Auckland. Read more and register here.

Tourism Summit Aoteaora - to be held in Wellington on Wednesday 9 November. Speakers will focus on how to improve the New Zealand Tourism industry's competitive advantage. Register here.

Tourism Growth Partnership, Round Five - The TGP provides $8 million in contestable funding per year through co-investment in projects. This funding is divided evenly into two streams – the Productivity and Innovation Stream and the Regional Stream.

2016/17 Māori Arts Presentation Fund. Applications are now open. The MAPF supports the touring of contemporary Nga Toi Maori work to Maori audiences in regional and local communities throughout Aotearoa. Applications close Friday 14 October 2016

Thousands of international media stories direct to you -  Over the years Tourism NZ have grappled with the issue of effectively and efficiently sharing media results with you. That’s where “My Tourism New Zealand” will come into the picture. It will be a log-in section of www.tourismnewzealand.com that will deliver information specific to your business and the outcome of working alongside us. It will hold recent stories about your business that have appeared in international media outlets because of your participation in Tourism New Zealand’s international media programme or because you feature on stories published as a result of the media content programme. Read more here. 

China visitor insights materials - Webinars and online modules based on the workshops are now available to help tourism operators derive greater value from the China visitor market. Modules cover topics such as product development, social media and accommodation. Access the material here.

NZ Māori Tourism's website - As a Māori tourism experience, we want to ensure you are exposed to thousands of visitors to New Zealand via our website - it is free to list and the site has lots of other valuable information for both visitors and Māori tourism experiences. Email Amy to list your experience.

Listing on newzealand.com - A presence on newzealand.com can help grow your business by connecting you with consumers considering a visit to New Zealand. A key role of the website is to drive qualified traffic to you. There is no charge for listing on newzealand.com - update your details, or list here.

DOC Consultations - Have your say on the issues that DOC is currently consulting on. Learn more here.

New tourism award – Kiwis can vote and win! - TIA are delighted to launch the ‘People’s Choice Award’ as part of the New Zealand Tourism Awards this year, asking New Zealanders to tell us which tourism business in their eyes is the country’s best.

Māori Tourism Quarterly - One of the most consistent messages we receive from the Māori tourism whānau is the need to interpret the tourism and economic data so businesses can better plan, look for opportunities, and identify future markets - so we've partnered with Berl to produce the Māori Tourism Quarterly newsletter. Read it here.

Get figures for your business - Figure.nz collect data from all over New Zealand. Discover the information that can help your business make smarter decisions and succeed.

Regional Economic Activity Report - Explore your region - look at international visits,  visitor spend, economic performance, and more.

New Zealand Tourism Dashboard - this is a one-stop shop for all information about tourism. It brings together a range of tourism datasets produced by MBIE and Statistics New Zealand into one easy-to-use tool.