Tread lightly in other’s backyards

• Published date: 03 December 2022
• Publication title: Mix, The

As much as we’re all looking forward to life after the pandemic, COVID has given the Queenstown Lakes district some breathing space to talk about what we want future tourism to look like. It’s widely agreed that tourism will have no sustainable future if it burns out the community and the environment

The days of funnelling the maximum ‘‘bums on seats’’ through our most beautiful destinations have gone. Pre-COVID, the pressures of the massive increase in tourism globally were overwhelming some of the most popular destinations. In 2018, Barcelona had 32 million visitors, 20 times the resident population. Unsurprisingly, the local community had had enough — resulting in the infamous ‘‘visitor go home’’ graffiti. It was a reminder that there’s a limit to the number of visitors that each community can welcome.

Post-COVID, as people become more aware of their carbon footprint, travel behaviours are also likely to change; with longer stays, fewer trips away and more domestic holidays on the cards. Travellers will also be looking for deeper connection to place and people, and for places that meet their sustainability expectations.

Recently, Wastebusters engaged Darren Rewi, one of our district’s most respected kaumātua, to work with our team. At our first session, he explained the way that te reo Māori embeds layers of meaning and values. One word that really stuck with me was manaakitanga. Darren explained that it is about care and respect for growing the mana of others, and has a sense of reciprocity, building on its common translation of ‘‘hospitality’’.

I love that idea of hospitality going both ways. As visitors to someone else’s community, we can give as well as take. We can treat every interaction as a chance for connection, not just a transaction. We can look after their landscape as if it is our own backyard. We can respect the community’s values while we are enjoying their hospitality. I’m going to try a bit harder next time I travel (watch out Dunedin!).

Which brings me, in a very roundabout way, to waste. On holiday, we all want to feel free and happy. It can be harder to keep up our good habits away from home; like recycling correctly and having your own coffee cup with you. But leaving our rubbish behind and expecting the locals to clean it up (and pay for its disposal) is not treating them with generosity and respect. And it probably doesn’t make us feel that good in the long run.

‘‘Zero waste, it’s just what we do here’’, is part of the Queenstown...