With the number of tourists to New Zealand expected to reach five million by 2024, how are New Zealand communities - and the Government - preparing to receive them? Growing pains and communication need to be addressed, says Simon Milne, professor of tourism at Auckland University of Technology and the director of the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute, in a recent New York Times article.
Read MoreLove of bees leads to wetlands restoration
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Gavin Smith and Sophie Sterry unwittingly embarked on an adventure of habitat rehabilitation, when what they were looking for was just a place to home their bee-keeping business. Cutting back weeds and removing invasive species has become more than the work of land stewardship - it’s their passion. Their seven-hectare property in Onetangi is well on its way to transitioning back to its native state, exposing the raupo from under its previous thick layer of honeysuckle.
Read MoreCruise ship stops at Matiatia, offering passengers Waiheke experience
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Photo Courtesy Gulf News
It’s not often that a large cruise liner includes Waiheke Island in its list of port visits, but that’s just what happened during the first week of January, this year. Hundreds of visitors were shuttled between ship and shore by small boats, offering their passengers to experience Waiheke cuisine and adventure.
Read MoreTaxing tourists makes perfect economic sense now→
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Opinion: a levy on incoming tourists should be seen not as a revenue-grabbing tax, but as user pays congestion charge, writes Tim Hazledine.
Since when is a border tax on an export industry a good idea, asked Brian Fallow in the New Zealand Herald last Friday.
I can answer that. March 4, 1985. That's the day the NZ dollar was freely floated on the foreign exchange market. Before that, we had a fixed exchange rate along with controls on imports to protect domestic import-substituting industries.
Read MoreFundraising for Rangihoua wetlands via bespoke murals
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Ongoing efforts into the restoration of Rangihoua wetlands are to be undertaken by the Sustainability Network’s Million Metres restoration programme, Waiheke Resources Trust, and an American eco-friendly products company breaking into the New Zealand market.
When donations are made through millionmetres.org.nz this company will match donations dollar for dollar up to $25,000.
Read MoreTime to review ferry services, ticketing and emissions
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“If Auckland is to have an integrated transport system that provides choice and affordable ticket prices, we need to allow competition at the Downtown Ferry Terminal,” says Waitemata Local Board member, Rob Thomas.
Read MoreChanges to national tenancy laws won't go far enough for Waiheke
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Waiheke Budgeting Services manager, Amelia Lawley, looks at the home rental market on the island and assesses the likely effects here of proposed changed to national tenancy laws.
A young couple with a three-year-old live in a two-bedroom house in Rocky Bay. The rent is $520 per week - when they moved in it was $450, but there have been two rent increases in the 15 months they have lived there.
Read MoreSummer staff shortage could pose problems on Waiheke
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The Waiheke Island Tourism Forum expects a summer staffing crisis is just around the corner: At a recent meeting with Immigration New Zealand and the Ministry for Social Development, local business owners could count about 100 vacancies between them going into summer - and the tourism forum expect the problem to be double that number.
Read MoreNew funding opportunity for conservation groups
/Auckland Council is offering a one-off grant opportunity for conservation groups to cover essential planning, administrative and project facilitation costs.
This opportunity is designed to help community-led Pest Free Auckland/ regional biodiversity outcomes through increasing councils support for groups (the term loosely includes any entity involved in community-led conservation – organisations, schools, iwi, groups…..) to overcome identified barriers to participation. To do this, we have developed a one year, one off grant (at this stage) delivered through an Expression of Interest in Smarty Grants with the development of a more inclusive support package for groups that will be ‘co-designed’ alongside other NETR work in the future.
