Pain Points & Progress: The Future for New Zealand Agriculture & Tourism
Primary Industry Communicators Day, a chance for communications professionals across sectors to meet and discuss the big issues impacting rural New Zealand.
This year’s PICD panel session was tasked with exploring the pain points and potential for greater connection between agriculture and the tourist industry in New Zealand. This year's panelists included:
- Jason Dawson, CEO Hamilton & Waikato Tourism
- Rod Oram, journalist and commentator
- Leigh Catley, GM Communications, Federated Farmers
Water
The panel started with a discussion on the implications of the current water quality debate - particularly for primary industry communicators. The panel generally agreed that New Zealand is moving forward on water, before discussing connected issues that have been shaped, at least in part, by the debate. These included:
- The disconnect evident between the ‘urban-rural divide’ narrative and a public who, recent MPI research shows, share consistent views about farming, farmers and the environment – most of them positive.
- The panel had an animated discussion about the role of language in defining the debate around farming within limits – particularly the definition of “intensive land-use”. The point was emblematic of a theme running through the panel session – how do we communicate the urgency of issues like livestock emissions, soil degradation and water quality with the need to tell the NZ provenance story and support rural communities.
- The panel agreed that the solution to water quality lies in collective local action – specific to landscape types, local industries and the communities that live there.
Perception
Kicking off with Jason Dawson’s compelling overview of the international and domestic tourist mindset, the panel discussed the shifting local and overseas perceptions of New Zealand and its agriculture industry.
- 100% pure… kind of. The panel made an excellent point about the importance of the ‘NZ’ in the ‘100% pure NZ’ tagline. Conservation areas are just one of the many reasons people come here. Our uniqueness as a tourist destination is wrapped in pastoral farming, culture, history and people, as much as our natural environment. It was suggested many New Zealander’s may dismiss this due to our more reserved cultural personality – we’re just not that good at talking up what makes us special. As well as our national parks, the things we take for granted – milking cows, fruit picking, harvesting vegetables and even our open pastures – are a valuable USP and an opportunity in a global tourism market. These are things Kiwis term our ‘ordinary’ which through the eyes of an international visitor are ‘extraordinary’.
Kiwis and international tourists may understand "100% Pure New Zealand" in very different ways.
Moving Forward – Connecting Agriculture & Tourism
Following on from a discussion of the 100% Pure NZ campaign, the panel considered areas where agriculture and tourism are becoming increasingly connected.
- The move towards off-farm income diversification through hospitality is gaining increasing traction – glamping, farm stays and experience hosting are on the rise.
- These are lucrative alternatives to increased pastoral activity that enable producers to build value. Investing in the heritage and natural beauty of their landscape and developing storytelling and communication skills aren’t cheap or easy, but may be a better long-term option for those willing to take the risk.
- While not every farmer can or should become a tour guide – this space is a natural fit for agriculture and tourism to work together on up-skilling rural Kiwis, developing more sustainable land operations and marketing the NZ experience to world . The effects may include increased resilience for farmers and more engaged tourists for operators.
- There is especially a space for dairy in New Zealand’s tourism framework - the quality and heritage of NZ’s dairy industry are drawcards for international tourists.
This led to an interesting intersection of opinions about the power of rural storytelling.
- Better rural storytelling is needed at a grassroots level to help rural and urban communities move on from the divisiveness of the water debate and re-instill a sense of pride in New Zealand farmers
- The future of food is storytelling. Promotion of Brand NZ represents a way up the value chain for producers that avoids more intensive land use. The example Rod Oram referred to was Yealands winery – a global product with a powerful brand story based on it's heritage and homestead. While not everyone can be a Yealands, industry leaders need to identify brand storytelling as a critical KPI alongside export units shipped.
Yealands winery (Blenheim) - a model for heritage based storytelling.
Conclusions from the panelists
In summing up, each panelist was asked to describe a promising opportunity ahead for New Zealand agriculture in a rapidly changing world.
Jason Dawson suggested the tourism sector needs to take a more active role in building agri-tourism capability. Regional tourism organisations are uniquely placed to quantify the value of New Zealand’s pastoral story in a global tourist market. Likewise, they are the best placed to build capability in farmers and rural communities in regards to hospitality, storytelling and hosting. Jason also raised the idea of a collective effort on the part of New Zealand agriculture to tell our story internationally. Jason used the example of Eat New Zealand – a group of chefs, producers and foodies dedicated to making NZ a food destination and who have created a digital platform to tell food stories. Could agriculture do the same? This kind of conversation is a good place to start to re-affirm how incredibly important environmental stewardship is to the NZ Ag story and the industry’s role in defining Brand NZ - be it food or tourism experiences.
Rod Oram discussed how global trends and challenges in food production offer opportunity for New Zealand farmers. Over the next two or three decades, a rising human population (from 7.5bn now to 10bn or so by 2050) will need more food, and food produced with much lower adverse environmental impacts on land, water, air and biodiversity in order to be sustainable and highly productive. This is already leading to a great deal of innovation in areas such as cellular agriculture, plant-based proteins and contained agriculture (e.g. aeroponic growing of green plants under LED lights in large buildings). New Zealand farmers and processor are great innovators and will find ways to improve their current systems and devise new ones so they continue to thrive. In this, farms will continue to be valuable and productive, but in far more diverse use of the land.
Leigh Catley summed up with what she describes as the ‘country calendar effect’ - a deep-seated affection for the farming lifestyle and those Kiwi’s who live it. To maintain the effect, the industry needs to get better at communicating it’s appreciation, acknowledgment and understanding of the social license to operate. In short, New Zealand agriculture needs to say thank you more.