Friday 24 March 2023 12:32pm
The kaitiaki of New Zealand’s longest trail hopes it will become the world’s “first truly regenerative through-hike”.
Matt Claridge.
Speaking at the Otago Tourism Policy School’s public lecture yesterday (Thursday 23 March 2023), Te Araroa Trust Executive Director Matt Claridge shared insights into the trust’s new project, Te Araroa Whakahou – “to renew, to restore and to rebuild”.
Te Araroa is a 3000km trail that runs the length of Aotearoa, from Cape Reinga to Bluff, and takes, on average, about four months to complete.
Mr Claridge highlighted the Trust’s plan to shift its focus from the trail – “literally the track” – to being more entwined with the walker, partners and environment.
The new project aims to connect iwi, local communities, walkers, and partners in a system-based approach to tourism conservation and walker education.
“It’s the ultimate outcome that every walker will leave Te Araroa a better place for future generations to enjoy.
“We want a trail where walkers feel a sense of place and belonging.”
After seeing thousands of people walk the trail but not knowing much about them or their plans, the Trust started developing a process to learn more about the walkers.
It wants to determine what the ideal number of walkers is, what infrastructure it needs to accommodate them, and how sustainable the trail is.
“You don’t create change without knowing what motivates people, what their values are and why do things.
“With that understanding we can then move towards changing people’s attitudes, changing people’s behaviours.”
The overall goal of Te Araroa Whakahou is to reduce the environmental impact of walkers, support growth in the ecosystem and wildlife, enhance the walker experience by providing better facilities and services, and raise the profile of the trail.
Mr Claridge also hopes to encourage walkers and trail partners to invest in a range of initiatives, like tree planting and predator trapping.
“Maybe walkers will start getting involved in maintenance work on the trail, maybe they’ll reset predator traps, maybe they’ll be able to see where the trees they invested in are planted as they walk past them along the trail.
“But actually, I think most importantly, we’ll engage local iwi, trail communities and volunteers so that we take a broader view, and we deliver a far greater experience for those involved and connected to Te Araroa.”
Discussions about whether the trail was fit for purpose started when the COVID‑19 pandemic closed New Zealand’s borders.
It gave trustees the opportunity to reflect on how they operated and, ultimately, decided it was time for a change.
Their goal now is for Te Araroa to become the world’s first regenerative through-trail.
“We believe that’s Kiwi, that’s New Zealand, that’s Aotearoa.”
The fifth annual University of Otago Tourism Policy School is a two-day event bringing together industry leaders, policy-makers and prominent researchers to discuss key challenges in the New Zealand tourism industry.
This year’s theme is “Tourism Policy: Are we fit for purpose?”.
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University of Otago
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