SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MEANS MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE PRESENT
WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE ABILITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS TO MEET
THEIR OWN NEEDS7
The principles of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and manaakitanga (hospitality) are the basis
for a uniquely New Zealand approach to sustainability. By delivering on these principles,
the tourism sector will provide hospitality to its visitors while protecting and managing our
culture and environment.
A sustainable tourism sector means that:
• our customers will enjoy their time in New Zealand, and will want to travel here for the
unique and sustainable tourism experiences we offer
• tourism businesses will be financially profitable, able to reinvest in their businesses,
and attract and retain the skilled workers they need
• the natural environment will be protected and enhanced, and the environmental footprint
of the tourism sector will continue to shrink
• we work with communities for mutual benefit.
Tourism relies more than any other sector on our continuing sustainability as a nation.
This is because New Zealand itself is the product we are selling.
True sustainability reaches across all areas of life — environmental, economic, social, and
cultural. These areas are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. For the tourism sector to
prosper, we need to deliver on all of them.
Visitors see their experience as a whole, not as component parts. There is no point in providing
comprehensive recycling facilities if our communities are unwelcoming, or delivering exemplary
service if our streams are polluted. We need to make a greater commitment to using our
resources more sustainably in order to protect both our environment and our economic potential.
Sustainable products and services are in growing demand globally. We already have a reputation
for being ‘clean and green’. This has been reinforced by Tourism New Zealand’s 100% Pure
New Zealand campaign.
Managing our reputation and delivering true sustainability will create opportunities that will
benefit all New Zealand businesses, including those in touris