Preparatory Resources & Reflections

The following resources and reflection questions are designed to create a shared foundation of information and reflection for all TPS delegates prior to the event. It is our sincere hope that this will lead to deeper engagement and discussion during the event, and more meaningful impact in relation to these considerations following the TPS. 

 We are offering a range of resources related to each key topic, and some further readings, so that delegates can select and explore topics of greatest interest and relevance to them. 

Overall TPS 2025 Theme: How can we effectively resource New Zealand’s tourism system? Global, National and Regional perspectives 

In recent years, dynamic and ongoing fluctuations in government priorities, visitation patterns and volumes, and tourism funding sources, coupled with ageing public infrastructure, has contributed to vulnerabilities in the New Zealand tourism system. Fundamental to addressing these issues is the need for an effective tourism resourcing system. 

The 2025 Otago Tourism Policy School will focus on potential solutions to these challenges by exploring global, national and regional levers and perspectives for how we might address our most pressing resourcing concerns. 

Navigating the Future of Tourism in New Zealand, by Glenys Shearer (Coughlan)

Session 2: Resourcing tourism on conservation lands: Options, challenges, and opportunities for Aotearoa New Zealand 

Penny Nelson, Director-General, Department of Conservation 

Dave Beech, CEO, RealNZ 

Mick Abbott, Emeritus Professor, Lincoln University, Director of WildLab 

Recommended Readings: 

 1. Exploring charging for access to some public conservation land (DoC)

 2. Modernising conservation management (DoC)

 3. Tourism’s Beneficial Nature: Increasing Tourism’s Capacity to Enhance Conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Protected Areas

 4. Our Public Huts and Tracks Need our Help

  Reflection Points: 

1. Should we charge for access to conservation land in Aotearoa New Zealand? If so, who, where, and when should we charge? How can these funds be used to resource conservation land impacted by tourism activities? 


2.  Can we design visitor experiences and activities where a significant increase in participation directly enhances conservation outcomes? How can ‘doing good for nature’ underpin the experiences and activities local and international visitors seek? 

Session 3: Effectively resourcing our tourism system: Learning from Scotland and Ireland

Rob Dickson, Director of Industry & Events, Visit Scotland 

Paul Kelly, Chief Executive, Fáilte Ireland 

Recommended Readings: 

1. Scotland Outlook 2030: Place Based Development| VisitScotland.org (“Working in Partnership” section) 

2. Scotland Outlook 2030 Tracker 

3. Visit Scotland Strategic Framework for 2024-2027  

4. Fáilte Ireland Governance & Structure documents

5. Fáilte Ireland Funding

6. Fáilte Ireland’s National Industry Briefing & Strategy 2025

 Reflection Points: 

1. What is our ‘why’ for tourism? In other words, why are we engaging in tourism – at local, regional, national levels?


2. What are all the ways tourism can benefit host communities’ quality of life? What are all the ways tourism can detract from host communities’ quality of life? (Please think beyond the obvious here)


3. What elements of the Scottish and/or Irish approaches to resourcing the tourism system can we build upon, adapt, or apply to enhance tourism infrastructure resourcing across New Zealand? 


4. How can we capitalise on our recent investment in regional Destination Management Plans to help us build a vision and framework for resourcing tourism across New Zealand? 

Session 4: Managing tourism resources through user-pays and private-public partnership models: US approaches 

Steve Hollenhorst, Professor, Western Washington University & Former Director of US National Park Service Social Science Research 

 Dr Margaret Walls, Director, Climate Risks and Resilience Programme, Resources for the Future 

Recommended Readings: 

Note: While these readings are not all directly focused on tourism infrastructure / resourcing, speakers will discuss synergies between alternative conservation financing mechanisms and tourism resourcing. They also highlight examples of how this has been successfully applied in different countries and socio-economic contexts. 

1.  Paying for State Parks: Evaluating Alternative Approaches for the 21st Century

2.  Strategies to Increase National Park Funding

3. Transfer of Development Rights as Climate Adaptation*

4. Transfer of Development Rights in U.S. Communities: Evaluating Program Design, Implementation, and Outcomes

5. A Big Deal for Conservation

 Additional in-depth readings on alternative funding models and issues: 

• Efficiency and Equity of an Outdoor Recreation Equipment Tax to Fund Public Lands

• Securing Sustainable Financing for Conservation Areas (pp. 1-12)

• Public Landmarks, Private Trademarks and our National Parks 

Reflection 

1. Public funding for parks and conservation can come from general revenue sources, or various dedicated sources that rely on taxes or fees on specific products or services. What are some characteristics of dedicated taxes/fees that make them work well?


2. In what settings - and for what activities - are user fees (or "pay to play") arrangements most appropriate and where do they have drawbacks? What are some of the various user fees we can envision in particular settings?


3. Beyond traditional government funding and user fees, what are other potential revenue streams for financing conservation and sustainable tourism infrastructure? 


4. Which of the alternative approaches outlined in these readings might be most appropriate for enhancing tourism resourcing in Aotearoa New Zealand contexts? 


5. Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) programs have been implemented to a limited extent in New Zealand. Where might TDR programmes be useful to address tourism issues? What are the barriers to TDR programs, and how could they be overcome?