Presenters 2008
John Anderson – Founder of Contiki Holidays
www.contiki.co.nz
After studying for an accounting degree, John set off to the UK from New Zealand at 22 yrs on his big OE. He planned to stay for about 12 months and returned home some 20 years later with his wife and four children and an international business – Contiki Holidays.
When John eventually sold the company in 1989 it was, and remains, one of the world’s major tour operators. Contiki is now firmly established as an international brand name and has been a household name in NZ, Australia and Canada with an estimated 1.6 million passengers already travelled with Contiki.
Subsequently, as a member of the Auckland Rotary Club John conceived the idea of a major fundraising opportunity. This became The Ellerslie Flower Show and it is now established as the largest event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. John lives with his family in the Marlborough Sounds and is currently working on a book about his life.
John will share stories of his various entrepreneurial ventures and give us his vision for tourism in New Zealand.
Ken and Dion Arnold – Operator White Heron Tours
www.whiteherontours.co.nz
Ken Arnold, with his family, wife Shirley and son Dion, run White Heron Sanctuary Tours. They have been undertaking tours to the Sanctuary for 20 years now and run under concession to the Department of Conservation.
The company’s role is to maintain and preserve the ecosystem of the Waitangi roto Nature Reserve, and to present and inform visitors with an experience they will not encounter in any other part of this country.
John Barrett – Owner/Operator Kapiti Island Alive
www.kapitiislandalive.co.nz
John Barrett has tribal affiliations to Ngati Toarangatira, Te Ati Awa & Ngati Raukawa ki te Tonga. He has current & previous executive experience with all three Iwi tribal organisations.
John is Managing Director of Kapiti Island Alive & Kapiti Nature Lodge Waiorua Bay, Kapiti Island, Chairman Maori Tourism Council and a Director of Tourism New Zealand. He is Chairman of Te Ara a Maui (MRTO) and the New Zealand Birding Network. He is also a Board member on the Aviation Tourism Travel Training Organisation, the Kapiti Marine Reserve Komiti, Te Waananga o Raukawa, the Kapiti Skills Centre, the Kapiti Community Development Trust and the NZ Foundation Child & Family Development .
John’s extensive background in travel and tourism began in the mid-1960s, as owner/operator of travel businesses in Wellington and Kapiti Coast. Today he is involved on a day to day basis in his whanau eco-tourism business based on the conservation icon, Kapiti Island, providing day bush walks, historical and cultural and flora/fauna interpretation, and island-based accommodation.
Lynette and Dennis Buurman - Owner/Operators, Encounter Kaikoura
www.encounterkaikoura.co.nz
Dennis and Lynetter Buurman have been involved with Encounter Kaikoura since 1991, when they joined Dennis' brother Rik and business partner Ian Bradshaw in the operation. The business initially just involved swimming with and watch dusky dolphins but now also offers albatross viewing and retail, café and conference services.
Jo Doherty - Director, Kitea Developments and Te Urewera Treks
www.kitea.co.nz
www.teureweratreks.co.nz
Jo Doherty has extensive experience in tourism marketing including time at Tourism New Zealand, Turoa Ski Resort, and Te Papa. For the last five years she has been a Director of Kitea Developments – a consultancy firm specializing in marketing, strategic planning, and working with iwi and Maori organisations. During that time Jo has also played a key role in a four year action research project, Te Tapoitanga Maori, coordinated by Manaki Whenua Landcare Research. The research has investigated some of the barriers and opportunities to growing regional Maori tourism, and has looked at possible solutions to some of the key issues being faced by Maori tourism operators in rural locations.
Two years ago Jo and her husband Joe (Ngai Tuhoe) set up Te Urewera Treks – a guided trekking business taking clients on one- to three- day walks in the rainforests of Te Urewera and Whirinaki.
Helen Fitt - Social researcher, Landcare Research
www.landcareresearch.co.nz
Helen Fitt is a social researcher with a background in development studies research. After completing a UK Master of Research (MRes) degree Helen worked in Afghanistan before moving to New Zealand in 2005 and taking up her current role at Manaaki Whenua / Landcare Research. Helen's focus is tourism research and she is one of the key researchers in the Te Tapoitanga Maori programme - which studies the development of regional Maori eco-cultural tourism. This programme is now near to completion and Helen will be joining Chrys Horn and Joanna Docherty in running a workshop to present some of the programme's key findings.
George Gibbs - Senior Research Associate School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University
www.vuw.ac.nz
George is currently enjoying his role as Research Associate School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University, having retired from the position of Associate Professor in 1999. After an academic career as an entomologist, he is now teaching a summer trimester course on the history and characteristics of New Zealand's fauna and flora. His book Ghosts of Gondwana received a 2007 Montana New Zealand Book Award.
Rebecca Gibson - Community Relations Ranger, Department of Conservation
www.doc.govt.nz
Rebecca Gibson works for the Department of Conservation as a Community Relations Ranger. This role focuses on education initiatives and liaison with community groups and organisations. She has worked for DOC for 6 years in various positions particularly animal and plant pest control. In a previous life Rebecca worked as a tour guide for Ecotourism operators both here and overseas.
Kathryn Hailes - Marketing and sales, CarboNZero TM programme, Landcare Research
www.carbonzero.co.nz
Kathryn Hailes helps businesses understand how to become carbon neutral and reduce their environmental footprint. She supports small enterprises through the programme, from the initial enquiry through to certification, and assists with advertising development, promotional materials, market research, marketing strategy and branding.
Dave Hawkey – CEO, Real Journeys
MBA, BSc (Zoology)
www.realjourneys.co.nz
Dave Hawkey is CEO of Real Journeys, one of New Zealand’s leading tourism operators. This South Island company operates in Fiordland, Queenstown and Stewart Island and has a strong reputation for its award-winning quality of service and long-standing conservation ethos.
Mr Hawkey took the reins at Real Journeys in 2002, after five years as chief executive at Lincoln Hospitality Ltd. He has a strong background in tourism, including five years as the general manager of the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch and a period with the New Zealand Tourism Board as director of marketing for North America.
Chrys Horn – Social Researcher, Manaaki Whenua/ Landcare Research
www.landcareresearch.co.nz
Chrys Horn is a social researcher working at Manaaki Whenua/ Landcare Research at Lincoln in Canterbury. She completed a PhD thesis looking at how communities adapt to tourism in 2002 soon after starting at Manaaki Whenua and has since worked in resource management/ natural resource areas. She currently leads a research programme in which Manaaki Whenua staff work with iwi from Tūhoe and Ngāi Tahu to research the elements of supply and demand for Māori eco-cultural tourism. The Te Tāpoitanga Māori programme is in its fourth and final year and has assisted with the development of tourism businesses and a new network (Te Urewera Rainforest Route) in remote parts of Te Urewera.
Chrys will be running a workshop along with Joanna Doherty and Helen Fitt to present some of the findings from this programme.
Phil Knightbridge – Ecologist Department of Conservation
www.doc.govt.nz
Phil Knightbridge is an ecologist with the Department of Conservation's West Coast Conservancy. His current work focus is monitoring the outcomes of DOC's animal pest control programmes for ecosystems and species. Phil has worked with DOC for the past 10 years, mostly as Conservancy botanist, and prior to this spent about four years working with Landcare Research on animal impacts in forests.
Hon. Damien O’Connor - Minister of Tourism
Before becoming an MP in 1993, Damien O’Connor worked in a variety of jobs in farming and tourism including establishing and operating Buller Adventure Tours. As Minister of Tourism Damien retains a strong interest in tourism and regional development.
Chris North - Outdoor and Environmental Education Lecturer, University of Canterbury
www.canterbury.ac.nz
Chris North has been working in outdoor recreation for 15 years in New Zealand and North America. He has worked as a tour guide, taught at polytechnics and secondary schools and as an outdoor instructor. Currently he works for the University of Canterbury College of Education, Leave No Trace and the New Zealand Alpine Club. He has a passion for wilderness experiences and feels strongly that minimum impact needs to be sexier in order to maintain our wilderness. He holds an MSc in biology, teaching qualifications, NZOIA awards, and is a Leave No Trace master educator.
Eric Park - Senior operator, Sustainable Business Group, Ministry of the Environment
www.mfe.govt.nz
Eric oversees the Sustainable Business Group’s work with the tourism industry as a senior operator with the Ministry for the Environment. He chairs the Tourism Waste National Working Group and oversees the Ministry’s work on ‘greening’ major events such as the Rugby World Cup 2011. Eric has previously worked as an environment consultant, a civil engineer and in local government.
Hamish Reid - @ Home in the Hills
www.homeinthehills.co.nz
Hamish Reid developed a life-long passion for hill country after growing up on Marlborough’s Molesworth Station. He has a degree in parks and recreation management from Lincoln University and in 2007 established his Arthur’s Pass guiding business @ Home in the Hills.
Charles Royal – Owner/Operator, Kinaki NZ
www.maorifood.com
Charles Royal is well known for his cooking with indigenous herbs, spices and flavours and cooking from the land with natural ingredients. Charles has owned restaurants, taught at tertiary education providers, designed menus for Air New Zealand, and now is following his passion to bring indigenous cooking back into the mainstream of New Zealand’s multi-cultural society.
Charles’ creations go far past the traditional Hangi – with many of his ingredients are now found on many a la carte and fine dining restaurant menus throughout the country. What started as a way for Charles to bring the Maori influence back into the way he prepared kai (food) for his whanau (family), particularly to help inspire and teach his children of their own whanau traditions. Charles found there was a need in the community, with New Zealander’s and tourists to learn about the many natural ingredients available in New Zealand’s native forests as well as the traditions of Maori cooking.
Charles will discuss his business and demonstrate cooking using native plants from pikopiko, horopito and kawakawa to the more ornate Maori potato, and delegates will have the opportunity to taste Charles’s cooking.
Lawrence Smith – CEO, Cabbage Tree Creative
www.cabbagetree.co.nz
Known as the 'Chief Cabbage', Lawrence seeded Cabbage Tree in 1996 - a time when the internet was still unheard of by most businesses in New Zealand. Then (and now) Lawrence's vision was to use new technologies as a means of gaining a cost effective, competitive edge. With a team of 15 these days, the scope of the business has changed somewhat, with many of New Zealand’s leading tourism businesses now as clients. A large part of his role now is to follow developments in both the technology and tourism sectors, and to identify what opportunities these create online.
Nicola Smith - Head of Assessment Services, Qualmark NZ Ltd
www.qualmark.co.nz
Nicola joined Qualmark after five years with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise in both the International Education sector and the ICT sector. While having majored in Management Studies and Labour Relations at the University of Auckland, Nicola’s penchant for travel has taken her across oceans to such places as the UK, Europe, North Africa, and the Mercosur countries in South America. Nicola brings a broad understanding of perception relating to New Zealand as a destination and exploits this knowledge via her role as Head of Assessment Services for Qualmark.
Dame Cheryll Sotheran – Sector Director Creative Industries and Tourism, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
www.nzte.govt.nz
Dame Cheryll Sotheran DNZM has had a long career in the cultural and tourism sectors, including university teaching and management and governance roles such as directorships of public art museums and membership of the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council. She was the founding CEO of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa from 1993-2002 - Australasia's largest tourism attraction. In 2000 she was recognised in the New Years honours list.
Dame Cheryll was appointed Sector Director Creative Industries at Industry New Zealand in December 2002 and has continued in that role for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, with responsibility for ensuring the delivery of a growth strategy for New Zealand’s creative sector. She also leads NZTE's engagement with the tourism industry to facilitate projects to build up the long-term capability of the industry and to focus on opportunities to add value in the sector. She is based in Wellington.
Craig Wilson – Director, Quality Tourism Development Ltd
www.qualitytourism.co.nz
Craig has operated his consulting business for the last six years and has led a variety of projects where quality improvement (e.g. quality assurance system development for Qualmark) and sustainability (e.g. cultural tourism development for the Ministry of Tourism) have been critical. He is passionate about the development of higher quality and higher yielding tourism experiences in New Zealand.
