News Roundup: June 2020

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First, a big shout-out to our ‘team of 10,000’ who, along with the island’s suppliers and providers, came together to support one another and sustain the Waiheke community through alert levels 3 and 4, and find creative solutions to lockdown problems. Special mentions go to:

· Fullers360, which ran a regular schedule throughout the lockdown period, and allowed free travel for everyone who needed to get to and from the city, or to visit family on Waiheke

· Kai Conscious Café, which turned into ‘Kai Conscious Takeaway’ during level 4, making sure that nobody on the island went hungry

· Waiheke Budgeting Services, who provided food parcels to more than 200 South Americans stranded here with no jobs or financial assistance

· Piritahi Hau Ora, who distributed around 200 care parcels to whānau in need during lockdown

· The nurses who ‘got up our noses’ and conducted hundreds of Covid-19 tests at each of Waiheke’s three medical centres

· The staff at Countdown, who worked long hours and extra shifts to keep the shelves stocked throughout lockdown

· WISCA, who found foster homes for all the animals in their care while they were closed at level 4, (many of which have become permanent homes)

· Waiheke Couriers, who worked overtime to deliver all the goods we ordered online

Although we have now moved to level 1 relatively unscathed from the health crisis posed by the coronavirus, we know the economic impacts are far from over. Tourism is particularly hard-hit. However, the rapid creation of a nationwide digital, outdoor and print campaign “Waiheke: a world apart, not a world away” may already be having an effect. Certainly the amount of traffic on our roads is similar to pre-Covid levels – and the island has been so busy at weekends since level 2 that we have even seen the return of the double-decker buses, much to many islanders’ dismay.

But instead of rushing back to business as usual, a local and national goal now is looking at resetting the tourism industry to focus more on environmental sustainability and community engagement. “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence — it is to act with yesterday’s logic”– Peter Drucker, management guru. Even during lockdown, the Ministry of Tourism was working on a major review of how NZ tourism can better take into account community needs and a greater community share of the benefits of tourism.

With this focus in mind, Project Forever Waiheke recently convened a meeting with key Waiheke organisations involved in tourism and sustainability, including the Local Board, Waiheke Island Tourism Forum and the Waiheke Sustainability Centre, to think creatively about future alliances and a shared vision for both sustainable and restorative tourism on our island. The Local Board is planning for a broad community engagement on this theme in the near future – keep your eye out for notices about that.

This new focus is echoed in a recent report from the University of Auckland’s Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures. Sir Peter Gluckman and colleagues point out that: “Tourism is a huge industry, and one with significant effects on our most iconic landscapes. The sector also generates a huge amount of CO2 emissions from long-haul and domestic air travel (including helicopters) and heavy domestic transport by road… [Despite successive reports on the negative impacts] New Zealand has not significantly diverted from an extractive path with regard to tourism… Is there now an opportunity to pivot to higher-value, lower-volume tourism, as the tourism sector reinvents itself? And beyond this, can tourism focus on Aotearoa values over volume?

The concept of ‘restorative tourism’ – going beyond sustainability to contributing actively to help regenerate damaged landscapes and ecosystems – is gaining momentum internationally. To what extent could we expand on this in our tourism sector, offering more meaningful nature tourism experiences?”

Read more about restorative/regenerative tourism
See how restorative tourism is working in Cuba

Here on Waiheke, we are in a great position to offer more meaningful visitor experiences, and already we are seeing some businesses reinvent themselves for a post-Covid world. Waiheke Walking Festival, for instance, is planning a longer, 18-day schedule, aiming to give walkers a more intimate experience, enticing them to stay longer and support local businesses.

Then there’s On The House, an innovative campaign that gave visitors free accommodation for the weekend of 19-20 June, while pumping what they saved back into local visitor experiences and other island businesses.

Potiki Adventures is also reassessing its visitor experiences for domestic travellers: “Māori concepts that are thousands of years old already hold the key”, says owner/director Bianca Ranson. And EcoZip has partnered with Waiheke Resources Trust to give visitors the chance to offset all their ferry and vehicle transport emissions by planting an eco-sourced native tree.

Another special experience is the night sky above the island, which recently included colourful displays of scintillation. Because light pollution is relatively low, we are lucky to be able to see these awe-inspiring displays without a telescope, says Gareth Davies of Dark-Sky Waiheke.

In summary, the global pandemic and all its horrors has brought us to a turning point. This is our chance to advocate for meaningful change for the sake of all the inhabitants and resources of Waiheke (and indeed of Aotearoa)… Our communities, our wildlife, our forests, our waterways and oceans.

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Hawaiian airport protest to stop influx of coronavirus tourists→

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Hawaiian airport protest to stop influx of coronavirus tourists

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - About 60 Molokai residents staged a protest at the island’s airport on Wednesday morning.

They’re saying they don’t want any more visitors coming to the island as a precaution against coronavirus.

“We are here today to exercise our rights and our voices to ask tourists and people who are not from here to please stay home,” said resident Zhantell Lindo.

“We want to protect our people and we want to support the governor in asking visitors to please stay home at this time. We want to keep Molokai Molokai and we appreciate and mahalo all your support.”

The protest comes after the governor on Tuesday urged visitors to stay away from the islands for at least 30 days.

It doesn’t appear that’s happening yet, however.

At the Molokai protest, attendees were reminded not to hug or shake hands and they stayed 6 feet away from each other during the protest.

Copyright 2020 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

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PFW Autumn News Roundup

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While this summer of golden weather brought the usual influx of tourists and visitors, it has all come to an abrupt end with the arrival of the coronavirus that is ravaging the world. As I write, the island under lockdown is as peaceful and serene as it was when I first came to Waiheke in 1973; the only sound I can hear is birdsong. And although the cause is deeply unsettling, I know some of us are relishing the resulting peace and quiet. It is great to walk around our neighbourhoods without fear of speeding traffic, and experience the kind of community friendliness and neighbourliness that were the hallmarks of the Waiheke community in previous decades.

This may be a good time to reflect on our value, and values, as a cohesive and supportive community, and ask ourselves how we can rethink our economic value as a tourist destination without incurring the negative impacts of overtourism.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) Simon Upton has warned in a recent report that increasing numbers of tourists are eroding the very attributes that make New Zealand such an attractive country to visit.

“To date New Zealand has been relatively immune to the strident protests about ‘overtourism’ that have hit major European cities like Barcelona and Venice in recent years.” But we mustn’t be complacent, he says.

“A business-as-usual approach to growing our tourism sector will have devastating consequences for the natural environment which is the major drawcard for our tourists…We need to consider how tourism can protect the environment while enhancing the wellbeing of New Zealanders, both those working in the industry and those living in the places that tourists like to visit.”

Read the full story.

Of course we can’t underestimate the devastating effect of Covid 19 on New Zealand’s largest export earner, which contributed $14.5 billion (20.7%) to total exports for the year ending March 2017. (1)

But international tourism also costs the government a big chunk of money.

Deloitte Access Economics (2) estimates that central government agencies incurred $638 million in tourism-related expenditure in 2017, spent on infrastructure, land transport, DoC services etc.

Domestic tourists have a big impact too, the PCE report notes, but our carbon footprint is typically far smaller because we are not taking long-haul flights. We also tend to travel to more places that are off the beaten track, and support locally-owned businesses. So perhaps, when the coronavirus is under control, we can start to restore our economy by encouraging more New Zealanders to come to Waiheke. (‘Don’t leave town til you’ve seen the country’.)

This focus on domestic tourism is a key aspect of ATEED’s Strategy , with its strong focus on sustainability. Our Local Board is also considering the adoption of core aspects of the Waiheke Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy.

Tourism operators on Waiheke also commented in Project Forever Waiheke’s 2018 community consultation that they wanted to attract more people who will stay for a number of nights in preference to day-trippers, who commonly contribute relatively little to the Waiheke economy.

While we have this current opportunity to stand back and re-think local values, we could think about what sustainable and responsible tourism actually looks like. We could look to the example of Magnetic Island, which is roughly as far from Townsville, Australia, as Waiheke is from Auckland. There, the resident population has battled with tourist-focused developers for more than 20 years, and many residents continue to be opposed to any form of tourism.

However, locals are now working with the tourist businesses on a range of sustainability initiatives: solar power across the island, working towards carbon neutrality, supporting better management of the island’s national park, moving to electric powered public transport, encouraging more tourism businesses to adopt specific sustainability initiatives, and developing an interest in education for visitors about both the natural environment and sustainable lifestyles. Other initiatives include eliminating plastic packaging and water conservation.

Our hardworking Local Board, as well as dozens of volunteer-based organisations and initiatives on the island, are already doing many of these things, albeit in a somewhat ad hoc fashion: See PFW’s MAD webpage.

The way we have responded to the coronavirus crisis is testament to our love of this beautiful island and its unique community. By supporting our friends and neighbours and wherever possible our local businesses, we can keep it safe until such time as we can welcome visitors again.

Keep your distance, but stay connected. We’re in this together.

Kia kaha, Waiheke!

1. Statistics New Zealand (International Visitor Survey), Tourism Satellite Accounts, December 2017.

2. Financial Costs and Benefits of International Tourism: Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, 13 April 2018

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Have visitors finally overstayed their welcome in Hawaii?→

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Have visitors finally overstayed their welcome in Hawaii?

(CNN) — The world-famous Ha'ikū Stairs along Oahu's Ko'olau mountain range, known as the "Stairway to Heaven," has been closed to the public since 1991, but you wouldn't know that from Instagram.

And despite the $250,000 a year the Honolulu Board of Water Supply spends to keep people out of the area, roughly 4,000 hikers still access the stairs annually, to the detriment of the local residents, whose properties are trespassed, and to the board's customers, who are footing the bill.

It's one of many examples of how tourism promotion, which has historically marketed Hawaii as a playground full of escapist pleasures, has backfired. Now, Hawaii must course correct. Seeking more responsible guests, the industry is looking for a bit of restraint -- and deference.

Read the full article from CNN.

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PFW summer news roundup

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Summer got off to a promising start, although late December and early January brought some cool, windy weather. That did not deter the usual crowds who came to the island for their holidays or to enjoy the island’s festivities, nor the corporate party-goers and overseas tourists who have been keeping local tour companies busy and happy.

The high numbers at Matiatia and the Downtown Ferry Terminal may have ruffled some feathers, but on the positive side, the renamed ‘Residents Lane’, only accessible to those carrying a monthly pass, 40-trip ticket or a resident’s ID card, has been working better for locals than it did last year. Thanks to Fullers for actively monitoring use of that lane and giving residents actual priority boarding where possible, and for the fantastic help that ferry staff have been giving to passengers getting their luggage on and off the boats – it’s been noticed and appreciated. However, commuters and residents travelling to Auckland are frustrated and upset about ferry delays or cancellations apparently caused by an increasing number of visiting cruise ships.

On the island, locals’ concerns about the new bus network continued into the New Year, as did the dispute about the new location of the taxi stand at Matiatia. The new arrangements are of course a trial and locals will have their opportunity to give feedback when the trial is completed in April this year. Meanwhile Save Kennedy Point (SKP) group members, already disappointed at losing their appeal for a rehearing in the Environment Court, are dismayed at the prospect of having to pay costs of more than $24K to Auckland Council.

Islanders and weekenders continue to fight the good fight for our environment and community. The best news this year so far is that local organisations Island Waste Collective and Clean Island have won the highly contested tender for Waiheke’s new $26 million waste contract, at last returning waste management on Waiheke to Waihekeans – congratulations and thanks to John Stansfield and his team for this major effort. They aim to increase waste diversion from landfill by at least 50% with a new approach to ‘resource recovery’. New Hope opportunity shop has also received funding to help them sell recovered resources back into the community .

A collaboration between island conservation groups and volunteers is aiming to eradicate stoats from the island. Native Bird Rescue has put out a call to help save our dwindling population of korora, and to help all our birdlife survive the  drought conditions of the past few weeks. And a new advocacy group, Protect our Gulf, is looking to submit to relevant authorities on environmentally hazardous projects.

The Beach Ambassadors project has been boosted this year with  Council funding, and an eco-conscious enterprise from the mainland, The Compost Co, is helping Waiheke’s restaurants to turn food waste into a valuable resource.

Council has also been working hard to minimise the impacts of tourism on our marine and Gulf environments, with regular bulletins to boaties and holiday-makers on being mindful of the waste loads that holidays add to the holiday destinations.

For our part, Project Forever Waiheke has been focussed on the MAD about Waiheke campaign, which has so far gathered together around 27 local environmental and community service group listings and, judging by the website statistics, gained a lot of interest from potential community helpers. With the addition of information on micro-volunteering for people with limited time, we can truly say there’s something everyone can do to make a difference to the island, its wildlife and people.

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Auckland Council’s summer waste barge service returns to Waiheke→

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Auckland Council’s summer waste barge service returns to Waiheke

Auckland Council’s summer waste barge service is returning to Waiheke Island to help boaties dispose of their waste and keep Auckland's Waitematā Harbour beautiful.

With the influx of people to the Hauraki Gulf islands over summer, the council encourages day visitors coming by boat or ferry to ‘pack in and pack out’ and take their waste with them when they go.

“If people are visiting one of the islands for a day, we’re asking people to take their waste home with them and dispose of it responsibly, in their rubbish or recycling bins,” says Parul Sood, General Manager Waste Solutions.

“For those away for longer periods, the Waiheke Island summer waste barge service is there to support leisure boat users to effectively manage their waste while out on the water.”

The barge will be moored at Man O’ War Bay, Waiheke Island, from Friday, 20 December 2019 to Friday, 7 February 2020, and will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including public holidays.  

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Waste-wise tips for boaties this summer→

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Waste-wise tips for boaties this summer

Auckland Council is appealing to boaties and leisure craft users to be waste-wise on the water over the holiday season to conserve our oceans and coastlines.

“By planning ahead, boaties can minimise waste before heading out on to the water.”

Visit Auckland Council’s website for their top tips for being waste-wise in the Gulf this summer:

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PFW Spring news roundup

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Spring has sprung, and already the island is getting busy, with noticeably heavier traffic on the roads and already large numbers of visitors on the ferries. Fullers has continued to “navigate choppy waters” with delays in the rollout of their two new vessels, while Chris Darby’s petition to bring their ferry services back under the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) gathered nearly 6000 signatures.

 Fullers introduced their summer timetable on 14 October, at the same time renaming the locals’ lane a ‘residents’ lane’, which they say will be policed more stringently this summer. A week later they announced a hike in ferry prices of two percent for commuters and five percent for visitors, resulting in a storm of protest from users and local politicians.

Meanwhile, island residents, weekenders and volunteers continue their great work in conservation, environmental awareness and community engagement. At the end of August the island welcomed Natasha Beletzky to the role of  park ranger at Whakanewha, and the Volunteer Fire Brigade celebrated their refurbished fire station . Vector announced the installation of 80 EV smart chargers  in homes across the island, furthering Waiheke’s goal of becoming the world’s first fully electric island. To that end, Electric Island Waiheke is running EV trials with Waiheke families, businesses and individuals throughout November.

Te Korowai o Waiheke continues its battle  against pests and predators that threaten native flora and fauna. Members of Extinction Rebellion Waiheke planted 21 pohutukawa at Owhanake and on Tui Road . A team of Waiheke High students formed a wildlife protection programme (‘Join the Dots’) to protect endangered dotterels nesting on the school field.

Some longtime Waiheke conservation heroes were celebrated in the Gulf News for their tireless efforts in eradicating predators, planting, clearing and weeding . And a group of Waiheke Resources Trust interns launched a new waterway monitoring project at Onetangi, Palm Beach and Oneroa.

In early September Auckland Transport presented a new plan to reduce congestion at Matiatia to the Local Board, which was later rejected by concerned locals on the grounds that it was too disruptive to current transport patterns and operators, and was also perceived to favour tourists over commuters and local residents. The Board instead endorsed an amended plan that aims to deliver a safer environment for residents and visitors alike, and an improved bus interchange. AT was also in the hot seat over Waiheke’s new bus network, which many islanders are very unhappy about. 

In late September, Save Kennedy Point Inc was back in the Environment Court carrying on its fight against the proposed marina at Kennedy Point. And a large group of Waiheke students, teachers, supporters and caregivers marched down Ocean View Road on the 27th, joining 170,000 other New Zealanders striking for climate action.

Finally, congratulations to returning Local Board members Cath Handley (voted Chair again at the Board’s inaugural meeting), Paul Walden and  Bob Upchurch (Deputy Chair), and newly elected members Robyn Tucker and Kylee Matthews. It is great to see the “tried and trusted” stalwarts of the Local Board joined by some fresh new faces (including newly elected councillor for the Waitemata and Gulf Islands ward Pippa Coom).  We look forward to a continuation of the Board’s good work, and some timely new initiatives in the coming year.

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Should Waiheke Follow in Faroe Islands' Steps?→

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Should Waiheke Follow in Faroe Islands' Steps?

Article originally published in Stuff 15/11/19. Written by Natalie B Compton.

It's not every day that a tourism board tells the traveling public to stay away from the destination it works to promote. But Visit Faroe Islands is doing just that with its decision to limit tourist access to the island chain, a territory of Denmark, this spring.

The initiative aims to draw attention to the issue of overtourism by closing major parts of the islands for maintenance, from April 16 to 17, 2020, opting instead to host 100 volunteers for the weekend. The tourism board debuted the "Closed for Maintenance" project this year, resulting in "unprecedented success."

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