Co-Chairs’ foreword
We are pleased to release this draft Better Work Action Plan (“draft Action Plan”) for consultation on behalf of the Tourism Industry Transformation Plan Leadership Group.
On this page
The Leadership Group is made up of representatives from the tourism industry, unions, government and Māori. We have worked collaboratively since November 2021, when Minister Nash asked us to work on a plan for regenerative tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This draft Action Plan builds on significant work that has already been completed. The New Zealand Tourism Futures Taskforce interim report ‘We are Aotearoa’ has helped shape the vision of a regenerative industry. The New Zealand-Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy helped articulate the future we could be working towards. With the launch of the draft Action Plan, it’s now up to all of us to advance this work.
COVID-19 led to significant disruption. Border closures and the absence of international visitors have significantly impacted tourism. That context is now changing, and gradually we are starting to welcome back international visitors.
Tourism can be an incredibly rewarding industry to work in, but we don’t have everything right. In this draft Action Plan, we are consciously aiming to create a regenerative future for tourism where the industry consistently gives back more than it takes from people, communities, and the environment.
At the core of enabling this future are people who work in the industry.
That is the reason Better Work has been the focus of the first phase of the Tourism Industry Transformation Plan. Transformation will not be possible without nurturing and investing in people as the foundation of our system.
Creative thinking underpins this document. The Leadership Group knew that we needed new ideas and a long-term vision if we were going to achieve genuine transformation. We hope you share our excitement about these new ways of thinking about the future. You’ll see this reflected in our choice of the phrase ‘He Tirohanga Hou’, which translates to a new outlook – a new way of viewing and thinking.
The success of the draft Action Plan is dependent on the ownership of the proposed actions by all stakeholders. Due to the connected nature of tourism, we hope this plan will also be transformational beyond the tourism industry.
To achieve true transformation, we need you to get involved. This draft Action Plan outlines challenges in the industry and proposed new pathways. We’d like to hear from you whether we have these right or if we have missed anything.
We are looking forward to hearing from you. The information you provide will inform the final Action Plan released later in the year.
Ngā mihi,
Gráinne Troute
Chair of Tourism Industry Aotearoa
Industry co-Chair
John Crocker
National Secretary of Unite Union
Union co-Chair
Heather Kirkham
General Manager of MBIE
TourismGovernment co-Chair