Archive for the 'TRENZ' Category
Prime Minister John Key and me!
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 11, 2009 at 2:43 pm
After his speech at the TRENZ luncheon and a media briefing, I had the opportunity (and the honour) to speak with Prime Minister John Key. I have to admit, speaking with the leader of New Zealand was a bit intimidating, but everyone around him assured me that he is an easygoing and open person and “not to worry.” That of course didn’t stop me from worrying and waking up at 3 a.m. to review my questions to make sure I wasn’t wasting his time (or your time in reading what he had to say to me).
He is indeed, a very easygoing and open person. In fact, after dealing with a media scrum about some domestic topics that weren’t about tourism, he took a little walk about through TRENZ to check it out. He stopped and chatted with tour operators and made the time to really connect. The people he stopped to speak with seemed delighted to spend a few moments with the PM and it seemed to me (and I was right beside him), it looked like the Prime Minister was enjoying himself. He had been described as a “people person” and that’s a pretty apt description.
When we sat down for a brief chat, I asked the Prime Minister about the tourism focus for North America. In his presentation at lunch, he mentioned China and India as important tourism markets. I wanted to find out, with the current economic challenges, how he felt about North America as a tourism market for New Zealand. He told me that North America is an important market for New Zealand. He also said that with the upcoming Rugby World Cup in 2011, he believes that although Canadians and Americans might not be as rugby crazy as some other areas of the world, the events surrounding this exciting event will be a draw for us. (That morning, I got to see a virtual tour of the renovated Eden Park Rugby stadium and it’s pretty impressive.) While rugby is at the core of it all, the approach NZ is taking is that they are going to create a moving festival during the Rugby World Cup in 2011. There will be events, parties and activities that go along with the games and that going to a match will just be one part of the fun. It sounded like an interesting approach to me – and I have to admit, it raised my curiosity about rugby. I think I would like to see a game.
The PM also assured me that with all of the attention being focused on the Rugby World Cup, other events such as the upcoming filming of The Hobbit won’t be left behind. He knows how popular the Lord of the Rings movies are and what they did for New Zealand. Mr. Key is excited that filmmaker (and Kiwi) Peter Jackson will return to make The Hobbit. I am sure there are many, many fans out there that are excited about this movie too!
You can see the interview here on YouTube (the quality isn’t great, but hopefully you can hear it). Prime Minister Key is a big fan of Whistler. He loves to ski and was enthusiastic about skiing in British Columbia, especially Whistler.
I also found out that the PM is a beach guy too. He has a summer place on a beach just north of Auckland and you could see his face light up when he spoke about it. It’s always fun to see someone bring a piece of themselves to a conversation (especially the leader of a country!). Hearing Prime Minister Key talk about the beach was a nice end to a great chat.
Redevelopment of Queen’s Wharf announced at TRENZ
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 11, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Yesterday at TRENZ, Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, John Key announced his support for the redevelopment of Queen’s Wharf. There is an interesting article from a New Zealand point of view on stuff.co.nz, it’s worth a read.
At the luncheon, the PM announced that government has, at the very minimum, secured Queen’s Wharf for use during the Rugby World Cup 2011, and that negotiations are well underway to purchase the wharf and develop a cruise terminal before the event.
Tourism Auckland Chief Executive, Graeme Osborne, said he was delighted with the government’s support for the redevelopment of this harbourside area, which is an integral element of Auckland City Council’s waterfront development proposal. “The Waitemata Harbour is clearly one of Auckland’s jewels and Queen’s Wharf is the ideal starting point for better connecting the city to the sea,” he said. “A future commitment to developing enhanced cruise ship facilities is also vital to securing this important sector for Auckland and New Zealand.”
Auckland is a critical exchange port for the country and attracts a large proportion of New Zealand’s cruise activity, with 66 ships expected to dock in the city this year.
“The cruise industry in New Zealand is growing every year and Auckland is reaping significant benefits. It’s crucial we have the infrastructure to fully capitalize on this, and of course to enhance the visitor’s experience,” said Osborne.
Throughout the 2007/2008 season, approximately 89,600 passenger days were spent in Auckland, or around 21 percent of all passenger days in New Zealand. During this period the Auckland region received $123.8 million of total cruise industry direct expenditure. This equates to around 60 percent of the national direct spend of $204 million.
The total effect of this injection into the regional economy generated $94.6 million of value added in the Auckland region. It is estimated that this activity sustained the employment equivalent of 1,434 full time workers for a year.
The blog lives on!!
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 11, 2009 at 12:58 pm
While TRENZ might be over—and I am getting on an Air New Zealand flight later today to head back to Vancouver (directly, no layovers for me!!)—the blog has been so well received that we have decided to keep it up for longer than planned. The TRENZblog will stay up for several months for reference and referral.
I have quite a few more posts on some of the interesting, innovative and amazing things to do in New Zealand. So please keep coming back to check them out over the next few days.
Getting around on land
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 10, 2009 at 6:59 pm
InterCity Group (the company that is bringing the Ipipiri ship to the Bay of Islands) also has a pretty interesting approach to travel through New Zealand. They offer a Travelpass and Flexi-Pass. These allow you to travel throughout the North and South Islands on coaches (buses) in comfort and at your convenience. You can hop on and off where you choose and the costs are based on the number of hours of travel. If you are planning on checking out several spots, it’s worth a look.
One of the bonuses of travelling this way is that you will get to travel New Zealand alongside the locals. I know that when I travel, the people I really want to talk to are the ones that live there. They know the best places to go, where to eat, what to do, what NOT to do and can give you a glimpse into the life of a Kiwi.
Check out the websites here:
GreatSights Overnight Cruises
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 10, 2009 at 6:47 pm
I had a great (get it!) conversation with Daniel of GreatSights. Along with a few other interesting services, they offer overnight cruises in the Bay of Islands on a brand new and beautiful ship called the Ipipiri. (And another wish goes on my list for my next trip to New Zealand.)
Ipipiri is the scared Maori name for the Bay of Islands and the InterCity Group graciously accepted the generous offer to use the name after consultation with the people of Rawhiti.
On the Ipipiri, which launches in October 2009, you can surround yourself in nature, immerse yourself in history and treat yourself to a truly unique night of style. The Ipipiri is the largest overnight cruise ship permanently based in New Zealand.
The Ipipiri will depart daily at 1:30 p.m. and return at 11 a.m. the following morning. Each cruise will include full commentary on the history, environment and some of the Bay of Islands most spectacular landmarks.
From Kupe, the very first voyager and Maori to discover New Zealand over 1,000 years ago, to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, Northland brings together the unique culture and history of the original Maori and European settlers of New Zealand. With some of the warmest waters in New Zealand, the Bay of Islands is home to an abundance of marine life – including dolphins, whales, seals and penguins.
The ship can be used as a self-contained conference facility. Imagine having a workshop and at the end of the day, sitting on deck with a drink and watching dolphins frolic!
Check out some of the images here.
