The Central Otago Destination Management Plan and Climate Change

CODC recently released its Destination Management Plan (DMP). I have read it and I think it’s excellent – and painful. Why painful? Because change is painful and this DMP highlights many changes to the way we do things that will be required. In this piece, I am going to share my thoughts on those aspects of the required changes articulated in the DMP that relate to climate change and are directly relevant to tourism services providers. Climate change poses an existential threat to some of the values that underpin the DMP, in particular Mauri - pressures imposed by land and water use are already being exacerbated by climate change and will be more so in the future.

Values

I was pleased to see that the DMP seeks to double the value of tourism without doubling the number of visitors. In terms of minimising the climate footprint of tourism, this is exactly the way to go. It was also what I argued for in my February piece where I talked about tweaking the International Visitor Levy to control the number of tourists coming into New Zealand.

So how will doubling the value without doubling the number of visitors going to work? Well, as the DMP states, through Values Based Tourism (VBT; yes, yet another TLA (three letter acronym)). Be aware of the difference between ‘Value based tourism’ and ‘Values based tourism’. The former is all about providing value to tourists, the latter is all about ensuring that your tourism operation is based on sound values. I was very pleased to see the DMP prioritising the latter over the former. Not that providing value to tourists isn’t important. It is. But not at any cost. My hope, and expectation, is that under this DMP, tourists will want more than to ‘see things’ but will be looking for deep immersive experiences with places and the special people who inhabit those spaces.

Be very careful what you wish for: if you want values-based tourists coming to Central Otago, you had better make sure that your values align with theirs or they simply won’t come. The values of Whakapapa, Mana, Tapu and Mauri articulated in the DMP are intimately connected to preservation of our environment and to protection of the global climate system. These values mean something - they mean that the way we have been doing things will need to change as they are diametrically opposed to a strictly consumerist/capitalist approach to tourism. Great to see these as the values of the DMP, but brace yourself for change.

It is very much a change from tourism being a ‘consumptive’ experience (been there, done that) to being a ’participatory’ experience. And, as the DMP highlights, whanaukataka – or kinship – with the people of Central Otago will be key to that participatory experience. This is also consistent with the principle of a fundamental shift from communities serving the interests of tourism, to tourism working in support of communities. Such a change from consumption to participation comes with clients expecting an environmentally sound participation experience, and that means taking greenhouse gas emissions reductions deadly seriously. No faffing around. It will be far harder to dupe people looking for a participatory tourism experience that you’re doing something to reduce your climate impact compared to the ‘been there done that’ tourists. If, as the DMP suggests, our ambition will be to create a ‘strong sense of common purpose’, we better be very clear about what that purpose is. I cannot see that purpose not including a strong sense of protecting the climate system. So, great to see this in the DMP but be aware of what this likely change in clientele will mean for tourist operators.

Why you will need to change how you do what you do

Sometimes Central Otago feels like a place where time stands still and that there is no reason why we can’t do things tomorrow in the same way that we did them yesterday. But this is an illusion. Here are some climate specific points that I picked up on as I read the DMP that make it clear why tourism in New Zealand will need to change.

Do you believe in climate change? I don’t. But let me be clear what I mean by that. If ‘believe’ means ‘accept as the truth in the absence of evidence’ (otherwise it’s not belief it’s knowledge), then I don’t believe in anything. The evidence that atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are rising, that emissions of those gases from human activities are primarily responsible for those rising concentrations, that these gases in the atmosphere absorb out-going longwave radiation and warm the climate system, and that, as a result, climate hazards are becoming more severe is, at least to me, overwhelming. But it may not be to you. And that doesn’t matter. You will still need to change. Why? Well because the sorts of people this DMP is looking to attract as tourists to Central Otago are far more likely to accept the reality of climate change, and to accept the behavioural changes required to tackle the climate crisis, than the average tourist. They are going to be these ‘values-based tourists’ discussed above. As highlighted in the DMP, there is an intergenerational change underway where ‘boomers’ are making way for new generations and their value sets (putting care for the planet, social justice, diversity, inclusion, and equity centre stage). If you don’t do everything you can to demonstrate that you share their values, you’re going to find yourself increasingly misaligned with the direction articulated in this DMP and increasingly devoid of customers. As written in the DMP: Sir Jonathon Porritt, Chair of Air New Zealand's Sustainability Advisory Panel, has cautioned – “if we think that the impact of COVID-19 has been challenging, wait until the full impact of addressing global climate change commitments are felt by the tourism industry”.

It is clear that a transformation to our way of life and to our economic systems is essential to tackling the climate crisis. We know what the target looks like – net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. There are an infinite number of trajectories to get from where we are now to that target, just 28 years away. Some of those trajectories, if followed, will cause untold economic pain and suffering. Others may alleviate the current burden of action by significantly burdening the next generation. Some may unfairly advantage one sector of the economy and disadvantage another. Some may do what is good for New Zealand but to the detriment of the rest of the world. There are myriad ways to get this wrong and just a few to get it right. The DMP refers to a ‘just transformation’, often referred to elsewhere as a ‘just transition’. The goals of a just transition are: (i) to be fair and equitable, (ii) ensure community wellbeing, and (iii) reduce inequalities during the shift to a carbon-zero economy. It requires groups, households, communities, workers and their unions, employers, iwi/hapū/Māori organisations to plan and lead their own transformative actions. To ensure inclusiveness and fairness, central government support is critical in championing community efforts, building a regional focus and honouring our international commitments. It’s great to see this articulated in the DMP as ‘deliver programmes to support business transformation and develop the approaches required to encourage sign up to these programmes – just transformation’.

Some challenges

There are many wonderful carbon-neutral activities for tourists in Central Otago such as cycle touring, mountain bike riding, and horse trekking – all against a backdrop of breath-taking, but incredibly accessible, scenery. Tourists come to Central Otago to see the open vistas of tussock, the beautiful barren hills below snow-capped mountains, and our (one day) pest-free native forests that soak up huge amounts of carbon filled with native birds. However, economic exigencies are increasingly putting pressure on developers and farmers. There is a risk that those activities tourists and locals enjoy so much may increasingly happen in an environment where economic reality has prevailed. Farmers and developers are not to blame for having few options that are economically viable. Of course, there are alternatives – see my January 2022 piece on carbon-farming – including tourism. I suspect there are unexplored opportunities to combine carbon-farming, especially if that is done through the planting of native forests, with tourism activities. This is also highlighted in the DMP as ‘a tourism driven initiative to ramp up the scale and rate of indigenous plantings to accelerate the development of carbon sinks’. However, I acknowledge that in the current environment, these ‘non-intensive dairying’ operational models are significantly more economically challenging. I was therefore pleased to see Strategy #8 of the DMP (Sustainable Funding and Development) calling for the economics of tourism and the commercial signals applied to be revisited.

Timescales and sustainability

The word ‘sustainable’ is used a lot and it appears in the set of values espoused by the DMP as ‘making a sustainable difference’, i.e., making decisions in business with the community in mind and in harmony with the natural environment. A definition of sustainability that I like is ‘enough for everyone, forever’. First it begs the question of ‘What is enough?’. To achieve the reductions in energy use, and especially in fossil fuel-derived energy, required to keep global mean temperatures below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, we need to think much more about what is sufficient to have a good quality of life without slipping into a consumerist mindset – focusing on what we need, not so much on what we want. And, of course, ‘forever’ is a very long time. Nothing is sustainable forever - even the universe will probably not make it beyond the next several quadrillion years. It’s great to see that the DMP has chosen to adopt a 50-year planning horizon. Not quite the 7 generations planning horizon called for by Te Ao Māori, but significantly better than the ‘one electoral cycle’ planning horizon often considered, and closer to the ‘forever’ requirement of the definition of ‘sustainable’ that I like to use. Going back to this value of making a sustainable difference. What does that mean on the ground? Are there sufficient fossil fuel reserves to satisfy everyone’s energy requirements for the next 50 years? Setting aside the climate impacts that would cause, the answer is no. Tourism activities that depend on fossil fuels are, by this definition, unsustainable. If you’re going to take that ‘making a sustainable difference’ value in the DMP seriously, you’re going to have to wean your entire operation off fossil fuels. Start by measuring your annual fuel consumption. Then implement a plan to reduce that consumption by 10% year-on-year. Tell your clients about your plan.

Opportunities

Other than being distant from tourism markets, Central Otago is probably one of the best places in the world to focus on fossil-fuel free tourism and it was great to see cycle tourism identified as an opportunity in the DMP. As stated in the DMP, Otago also has ‘an abundance of clean and renewable energy sources that underpin the development and delivery of accommodation and transport solutions’. Not having at the very least solar hot-water heating in a place like Central Otago is just crazy. The next step of course is solar PV (see my November 2021 piece).

Strategy #9 of the DMP (State-of-the-art Connectivity) talks about ‘the carbon neutral movement of people is one way in which the sustainability of tourism in Central Otago can be secured’. There are several ‘ride share’ apps that are used in New Zealand. I think that ride sharing is an excellent way to reduce the numbers of cars on our roads and their associated emissions. I am driving from Alexandra to Christchurch and back in two weeks’ time. If I were feeling particularly altruistic, I would sign up and create a profile on every ride share app available and advertise my trip so that I might be able to provide a lift to someone going in the same direction at the same time. However, this is a lot of effort, and I normally wouldn’t have the energy or foresight to do that for every car trip. But, as I am driving out of Alexandra on my way to Christchurch, if I saw someone standing on the side of the road holding a sign that said ‘need a ride to Christchurch’, the likelihood of me giving them a ride is very high. I am sure that someone smarter than me could come up with a viable business model that would establish comfortable waiting spots on the outskirts of towns and cities (nicer than a bus stop), where cars can easily pull off the road to pick up hitchhikers on the spur of the moment. The DMP calls for ‘explore the use of digital apps that push data to visitors to manage flows and promote visitor dispersal’. Surely the time is ripe for someone to make an app, that is not just another ride share app, that makes hitchhiking safe and fashionable again. Can someone please make it so?

And finally - EV charging: A few weeks ago, I went to charge my car at the EV charging station out the back there behind the Memorial Hall. It was out of service. I phoned ChargeNet and they said ‘Oh, that one has been broken for a few weeks. Not sure when the contractor will get it fixed’. And this is the only charging station between Cromwell and Roxburgh. We need better.

OK, I think that’s enough for this month.