Cut price travel deals galore, but tourism still faces a grim winter

Thursday, 25 June 2020

Cut price deals are tempting New Zealanders to take a break away.

Tourism is enjoying a post lockdown 'honeymoon', but winter is still looking grim as borders remain closed. Amanda Cropp reports.

E rongo ana te rāngai tāpoi i te “pārekarekatanga” o muri i te tautāwhitanga, engari e anuanu tonu ana te āhua o Takurua i te aukatinga tonutanga o ngā ripa tauārai ā-motu. E whai ake nei te pūrongo a Amanda Cropp.

Christchurch convenience store worker Div Kotla calculates he saved at least $250 on a recent week-long road trip of the South Island.

E ai ki te tātai a Div Kotla, e mahi nei i tētahi toa haratau ki Ōtautahi, kāore i iti iho i te $250 te pūtea i penapenahia rā e ia i tētahi haerenga i nakua nei, kotahi wiki nei te roa, i ngā huarahi o Te Waipounamu.

He caught the ferry from Bluff for a day trip to Stewart Island, cruised Milford Sound, and snapped up a $60 discount on a bungy jump in Queenstown where downtown was unnaturally quiet. 'At Ferg Burger there was no queue.'

I piki ia ki te waka kōpiko i Awarua kia haere ki Rakiura i tētahi rā kotahi, i piki hoki ia ki tētahi waka rērere, ka tere ai i Piopiotahi, ka mau hoki i a ia te utu whakaheke o te $60 mō tētahi wae-tirikohu i Tāhuna, i rerekē ai te mū o te pokapū o te tāone. “Kāore he rārangi tāngata i Ferg Burger.'

Based on analysis of cellphone data, one in 10 New Zealanders hit the road over Queen's Birthday weekend, peaking at 520,000 people travelling outside their home region.

E ai ki ngā tātaringa o ngā raraunga ā-waea pūkoro, kotahi o te 10 tāngata o Aotearoa i takahi i ngā rori i te roanga o te mutunga wiki whakanui i te huritau o te Kuīni, ko te 520,000 te taumata o te tokomaha i puta i ō rātou rohe kāinga.

School holidays are expected to provide a further boost, aided by a captive market forced to forgo planned winter breaks to Australia, the Pacific Islands and further afield.

I tōna tikanga, mā ngā hararei e piki ake anō ai te tokomaha e tāpoi ana, he mea taunaki nā te matenga o te iwi hokohoko kua herea ki te whakakore i ā rātou whakatā i a Takurua i whakaritea ai kia tū ki Ahitereiria, ki ngā moutere o Te Moana nui a Kiwa, ki tua atu rānei.

* Why the Trans-Tasman travel bubble is dead

* Hopes Franz Josef Glacier trips will bolster struggling businesses

* From hero to zero – what's the future for tourism?

Div Kotla says discounts on a recent South Island holiday allowed him and his travelling companions to do more activities than their budget would normally allow.

With coronavirus still raging overseas and no trans-Tasman bubble in sight, tourism operators describe business as decidedly “lumpy” – busy at weekends and quiet on weekdays.

I te kaha tonu o te rere o te mate korona ki tāwāhi, i te korenga hoki o te kāhui whakakotahi i ngā taha e rua o Te Moana-tāpokopoko-a-Tāwhaki, ko te “hīngarungaru” mārika te whakaahuatanga a ngā kaiwhakarite mōkī tāpoi i te pakihi – ka nui ngā mahi i ngā mutunga wiki, ā, ka mū i ērā atu rā.

A recent MYOB-commissioned survey of 500 Kiwis found more than half were planning breaks in the next three months, and a quarter named Queenstown as their favoured destination, followed by Auckland, Wellington and Bay of Plenty.

I kitea i tētahi rārangi uiui i ngā tāngata e 500 o Aotearoa, i whakahaerehia rā e MYOB inakuanei, i neke atu i te haurua o taua tokomaha e whakarite whakatā ana i ngā rā o ngā marama e toru e tū mai nei, ā, ko tētahi hauwhā i whakahua ko Tāhuna te tino wāhi hei haerenga mō rātou, ko Tāmaki-makau-rau, ko Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara, ko Te Moana a Toi-te-Huatahi hoki i whai ake.

Wharekauhau Country Estate general manager Richard Rooney says having a purely local clientele is a new experience, and current winter prices are the lowest in his 14 years at the Wairarapa property.

A fifth budgeted on spending $500 to $1000 per person, and lower prices and special offers were cited as significant incentives to travel domestically.

I whakaritea e tētahi haurima te $500 atu ki te $1000 hei whakapaunga ki ia tangata, ā, kīia ai ko ngā utu iti ake me ngā tāpaetanga motuhake ngā poapoa tāpua kia noho ki te taiwhenua nei hāereere ai.

GCH Aviation marketing manager Caroline Blanchfield says wealthy holiday makers seeking luxury escapes are chartering choppers and private jets to ferry them around exclusive lodges and golf courses.

E kī ana te kaiwhakahaere whakatairanga pakihi o GCH Aviation, a Caroline Blanchfield, kei te tonoa e te hunga whairawa e whai hararei hāneanea ana he waka topatopa, he waka rererangi torohaki hoki e tūmataiti ana hei kawe haere i a rātou ki ngā whare taupuni me ngā papa haupōro e whāiti ana ki tētahi hunga.

Bookings are 'going off' for a $2400 a day trip that whisks guests from Christchurch to Aoraki/Mt Cook for two heli-ski runs on the Tasman Glacier.

E “tonoa nuitia” ana ngā tāpuinga haerenga i te rā kotahi mō te $2400 e tere ai te rerenga o ngā manuhiri i Ōtautahi ki Aoraki mā te waka topatopa ki te retireti hukarere i runga o Haupapa.

Wharekauhau Country Estate in the Wairarapa has families prepared to pay $10,000 for a five night stay that includes clay bird shooting, farm tours and degustation menus.

Kaituna Cascades' white water rafting trips near Rotorua take customers down a 7 metre waterfall. Discounting has boosted winter numbers, allowing the business to retain staff.

Kua whakarite ngā whānau ka noho ki Wharekauhau Country Estate i Te Wairarapa kia utua te $10,000 ki te noho mō ngā pō e rima, ā, e whai wāhi atu ana ki taua nohonga te puhipuhi manu-kere, ngā tāpoitanga i te pāmu me ngā rārangi kaiwhara.

Karine Thomas markets Taupo's Kinloch Club and Treetops lodge at Rotorua and demand for winter packages has seen her re-employ cleaners who had been laid off.

Ko Karine Thomas te kaiwhakatairanga i Kinloch Club ki Taupō me Treetops Lodge ki Rotorua, ka mutu, nā te hiahiatia o ngā mōkī ā-Takurua kua whakawhiwhi tūranga mahi atu anō ia ki ngā kaiwhakapaipai i whakakorea rā i mua rā.

'We're doing better this year than last year, it's crazy … we have a couple of car companies that have bought out the whole place, that's 20 rooms at $2500 each for a weekend.'

“Kei te nui ake ngā hua ki a mātou i tēnei tau i ō tērā tau, ka mutu, whakapōro ana tērā … e rua ngā pakihi hoko waka kua tāpui i te wāhi katoa, arā, e 20 ngā rūma, e $2500 te utu o ia ruma mō te mutunga wiki kotahi.”

Coronavirus led to cancellation of this year's Aims Games in Tauranga, depriving places such as holiday parks of much-needed income.

Kaituna Cascades co-owner Pete Lodge says dropping the price of their white water rafting trips from $105 to $70 has attracted big groups of kiwifruit pickers from nearby Te Puke.

E kī ana tētahi o ngā rangatira o Kaituna Cascades, a Pete Lodge, nā te whakahekenga o te utu o ā rātou terenga i ngā tanguru mā runga pūtere i te $105 ki te $70 i poapoatia ai ētahi rōpū nui e kaikato huakiwi nā i Te Puke e pātata ana.

Pre-coronavirus, about 80 per cent of Lodge's 10,000 customers a year were internationals, and he is thankful they had made a concerted effort to increase domestic patronage. “Man that was a good decision.”

I mua i te rerenga o te mate korona, ko tōna 80 ōrau o ā Lodge kirihoko 10,000 i te tau nō tāwāhi, ka mutu, e koa ana tana ngākau i tā rātou āta whai kia tokomaha ake ngā kirihoko nō te taiwhenua nei. “Kātahi te whakatau pai ko tērā.”

Campervan giant Tourism Holdings is renting mobile homes for as little as $29 a day, and competitor Jucy is allowing customers to take their pooches along, maximum two dogs per camper.

Research by Angus and Associates in the past month found about 20 per cent of New Zealanders planning a trip wanted to do something they had never done before, or had not done for a very long time.

Ko te utu iti katoa e rīhingia atu nei ētahi taupua nekeneke e te pakihi wakanoho e nui taioreore ana, e Tourism Holdings, ko te $29 mō te rā kotahi, ā, ko te hoa whakataetae, ko Juicy, e whakaae ana kia haria hoki e ngā kirihoko ā rātou kurī, ko ngā kurī e rua ki ia tangata te taumata.

Even with a $100 cleaning fee to remove doggy smells, Jucy chief executive Tim Alpe says it's still cheaper than booking the fur babies into kennels.

Ahakoa te utu whakapaipai o te $100 hei horoi i ngā kakara o te kurī, e kī ana te tumu whakarae o Juicy, a Tim Alpe, he iti ake tonu tērā utu i tō te tāpui whare kurī mō ngā mōkai huruhuru.

Although such deals have benefited camping grounds, Holiday Parks Association chief executive Fergus Brown says the future remains very uncertain, because international customers provided the 'cream' that made businesses profitable.

Ahakoa nā aua momo poronga utu i whaihua ai ngā papa taupuni, e kī ana te tumu whakarae o Holiday Parks Association, a Fergus Brown, kei te tino haurokuroku tonu te anamata i te mea nā ngā kirihoko o tāwāhi i tāpiri mai te “puru rourou” i whai huamoni ai ngā pakihi.

Guided tours of Franz Josef Glacier Guides have resumed but nearby hotels are still plagued by empty rooms.

Parks are also reeling from the cancellation of sports events and tournaments such as the intermediate schools Aims Games which last year pumped $6.5m into the Bay of Plenty.

Kei te hurori hoki ngā papa tākaro nā te whakakorenga o ngā kaupapa hākinakina me ngā whakataetae pēnei i te Aims Games mā ngā kura waenga, nāna nei i whakauru atu ki Te Moana a Toi-te-Huatahi te $6.5 miriona.

'One particular park reported losing $150,000 in just sports groups cancelling.

“Ko tētahi papa tākaro e kī ana kua riro atu te $150,000 i te whakakorenga tonutanga a ngā rōpū hākinakina i ā rātou tāpuinga.

'I'm not aware of any parks closing down, but I am aware of many that are really cutting back and doing it really tough,' Brown says.

“Kāore au i te mōhio mehemea he papa tākaro e kati oti atu ana, engari kei te mōhio au ki te maha e tino whakaiti ana i ngā whakapaunga pūtea, e tino oke ana hoki,” te kī a Brown.

On the West Coast, a region heavily dependent on overseas visitors, Scenic Hotels Group general manager Brendan Taylor says a big promotional push by Tourism West Coast has had little impact.

I Te Tai Poutini, i te rohe e tino whai oranga nei i ngā manuhiri o tāwāhi, e kī ana te kaiwhakahaere whānui o Scenic Hotels Group, a Brendan Taylor, he iti ngā hua kua puta i te nui o ngā mahi whakatairanga a Tourism West Coast.

His 130-room hotel at Franz Josef is selling five to seven rooms a night, and down the road at Fox Hotel “we're lucky if it's one or two. Our occupancy would be five per cent this year.'

E rima atu ki te whitu te nui o ngā rūma o tana hōtera, 130 katoa nei ōna rūma, e hokona ana i ia pō, ā, i taua huarahi anō, i te Fox Hotel “ka waimarie mehemea kotahi, e rua rānei ngā rūma ka hokona atu. Kua rima ōrau te nui o ō mātou rūma e nōhia ana i tēnei tau.”

AUT professor of tourism Simon Milne says studies following the global financial crisis showed that discretionary travel was the first thing to go when economic hardship hit.

Ngāi Tahu Tourism is gradually reopening some of its attractions as domestic demand increases.

E kī ana te ahorangi mō te tāpoi, i Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau, e ai ki ngā rangahau, i muri i te horonga ā-tahua o te ao, ko te hāereere i runga i te hiahia te kaupapa tuatahi ka whakakorea i te pānga mai o ngā uauatanga o te iti o te pūtea.

Most Kiwi travellers want value for money, and the industry will need to meet those expectations.

E hiahia ana te nuinga o ngā tāngata hāereere o Aotearoa kia nui tonu ngā hua o ā rātou whakapaunga pūtea, ā, me ea i te rāngai aua hiahia rā.

'It's not like an international visitor being served a $40 main course and thinking, 'oh well, that's how much it costs.' We know what it costs to buy some steak or a bottle of wine.'

“Kāore e pēnei ana i te manuhiri nō tāwāhi ka whāngaihia ki te kai matua, e $40 te utu, me te mahara iho, ‘ā kāti, koirā tōna utu.’ Kei te mōhio tonu tātou ki te utu hei hoko i te motū, i te pātara wāina rānei.”

Elspeth Collier is hosting guests who have swapped a week in Aituataki in the Cook Islands for her Apple Picker Cottages at Mapua near Nelson, where the special rate on a two-bedroom cottage is $650 for three nights.

Ko Elspeth Collier kei te manaaki manuhiri, i whakakore rā i tō rātou toronga ki Aitutaki i Kuki Airani mō te wiki kotahi kia haere kē ki tana Apple Picker Cottages, ki Mapua, e pātata ana ki Whakatū; ko te utu motuhake o reira mō tētahi whare, e rua nei ōna rūma moe, ko te $650 mō ngā pō e toru.

Wellington photographer Billie Win, seen here on holiday in Italy, is planning a road trip of the South Island to replace a cancelled trip to Europe where she said some accommodation was 'crazy expensive.' The cheapest hostel she found in Barcelona was $600 for five nights for two people.

Collier says pricing is a minefield, and she is not the only accommodation provider to cop abuse from New Zealanders complaining that rates are too high.

E ai ki a Collier, he pēnei i te kauhanga-pahū te whakarite utu, ka mutu, ehara i te mea ko ia anake te kaiwhakarato wāhi noho kua noho hei papa mō ngā tūkino i ngā tāngata o Aotearoa e amuamu nei i te nui rawa o ngā utu.

'But by the time we've paid GST, a cleaner and done laundry we really don't make a lot of money.'

“Engari, kia utua te tāke hokohoko, te kaiwhakapaipai, kia oti hoki te horoi papanga, tino kore nei e nui ana te huamoni mai ki a mātou.”

How much Kiwis foregoing overseas trips are prepared to spend here instead may depend on refunds for cancelled travel, and Air New Zealand's credit policy has caused considerable dissatisfaction.

Kei te āhua pea o te nui o te hokinga mai o ngā pūtea mō ngā hāereere kua whakakorehia, te nui o te pūtea e pīrangitia nei kia whakapauhia kēhia ki konei e ngā tāngata o Aotearoa, e whakakore ana i ō rātou haerenga ki tāwāhi, ka mutu, kua nui tonu te ngere nā te kaupapa here a Air New Zealand mō te pūtea taurewa.

Wellington photographer Billie Win and her husband Simon Giannotti had budgeted $20,000 for a month long visit to Spain, Portugal and Italy.

I whakaritea e tētahi kaiwhakaahua i Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara, e Billie Win, rāua ko tana tāne, ko Simon Giannotti, kia pau i a rāua te $20,000 mō tētahi toronga, kotahi marama nei te roa, ki Peina, ki Potukara, ki Itāria hoki.

Instead, they expect to spend about $5000 on a two-week road trip around the South Island in August, sharing accommodation with friends.

The Marlborough Flyer will shift from carting cruise passengers to carrying Kiwis on scenic tours of the South Island.

Heoi, i tōna tikanga ia ka pau i a rāua ko tōna $5000 mō tētahi haerenga, e rua wiki nei te roa, mā ngā huarahi huri noa i Te Waipounamu hei a Ākuhata, ka mutu, ka noho tahi rāua me ō rāua hoa.

Win says obtaining refunds from Emirates and Airbnb for their cancelled overseas holiday made all the difference. 'The reason we can afford to go down south is because we got almost everything back.'

E ai ki a Win, ko te whiwhi i ngā whakahokinga pūtea i a Emirates me Airbnb, i te whakakorenga o tā rāua hararei ki tāwāhi, te tino take i tutuki ai. “Ko te take e taea nei e māua te haere ki te tonga ko te whakahokinga mai o te nuinga o ngā pūtea.”

Their South Island itinerary features skiing, caving, a lake cruise, hot pools and winery tours, and having travelled widely, Win does not believe New Zealand is over-priced.

Ko ētahi o ngā kaupapa kei tā rāua rārangi mō Te Waipounamu ko te retireti hukarere, ko te pōkai ana, ko te piki waka rērere i te moana, ko te kau i ngā puna waiwera, me te awhe i ngā papa wāina, ka mutu, i te whānui o ana hāereere, kāore a Win e whakaae ana kei te nui rawa ngā utu i Aotearoa.

'There's lots to see and do, I know it's not cheap, but personally I'm not outraged or upset by the cost.

“He nui ngā mea hei kitenga, hei mahinga, ā, e mōhio ana au kāore te utu i te iti, engari kāore ahau ake nei i te riri, i te auhi rānei nā te utu.

Overseas tourists have a go at rounding up sheep during a Real Country show. Tour operators are having to adjust their itineraries to cater for a totally New Zealand market.

'I own my own business, so I know what things cost and that you need to make a living, not just cover costs.'

“Nāku anō tāku ake pakihi nō reira kei te mōhio au ki ngā utu, ki te whāinga matua hoki o te whai oranga, kaua noa iho ko te whakaea i ngā nama.”

Tourism companies who made the bulk of their income from overseas travellers in times past now face some difficult decisions.

He whakatau uaua kei mua i ngā pakihi tāpoi, ko te nuinga o ā rātou moni whiwhinga o mua i ahu mai i ngā tāngata hāereere nō tāwāhi.

Pounamu Tourism Group used to carry thousands of cruise ship passengers on Marlborough Flyer steam train trips from Picton to Blenheim, and with cruise visits suspended indefinitely it is marketing rail excursions around the South Island.

I mua rā, he mano pāhihi mai i ngā waka rērere i kawea rā e Pounamu Tourism Group mā runga i ngā tereina tima o Marlborough Flyer i Waitohi ki Waiharakeke, ā, nā tewhakatārewatanga ā-tau koroī nei o te toronga mai o ngā waka rērere, kua whakatairanga ia i ngā hāereere tereina huri noa i Te Waipounamu.

Inbound tour operator Trafalgar, which sold bus tours run by Contiki, Insight Vacations and other brands, is now targeting local customers in the 50-plus age bracket.

Laura Douglas, seen here teaching vehicle maintenance, says mothballing her business is not an option. She is ramping up her farm skills courses to make up for lost income from bus tours.

Ko te pakihi whakarite mōkī tāpoi mā ērā e haere mai ana, ko Trafalgar, i hoko rā i ngā tāpoi ā-pahi i whakahaerehia rā e Contiki, e Insight Vacations me ētahi atu pakihi, e arotahi kē ana ki ngā kirihoko pātata kua 50 tau te pakeke, kua neke atu rānei i tērā.

General manager Scott Cleaver says lingering concerns about the risk of Covid-19 transmission means 45 seater coaches will carry a maximum of 22 passengers.

Ko tā te kaiwhakahaere whānui, ko tā Scott Cleaver e mea nei, nā te karioi o ngā māharahara ki ngā whakamōreareatanga o te rerenga o te Kowheori-19, ko te 22 pāhihi te taumata o te tokomaha ka kawea e ngā pahi, e 45 nei ōna tūru.

'We won't make a whole lot of money out of it, but that's not the point, we want to get people travelling again and [to feel] comfortable travelling again.'

“Kāore e takoto mai ki a mātou te nui o te huamoni i tērā, engari ehara tērā i te whāinga matua, e hiahia ana mātou kia hāereere anō ngā tāngata, kia [rongo] hoki i te mauritau o te hāereere anō.”

Cleaver is also keen to support the 50 small businesses his tours visited, such as Laura Douglas' Real Country farm tours at Kingston near Queenstown.

E hīkaka ana hoki a Cleaver ki te tautoko i ngā pakihi iti e 50 i torona ai e ana tāpoitanga, pēnei i te tāpoitanga o ngā pāmu o Real Country nā Laura Douglas kei Kingston, e pātata ana ki Tāhuna.

Tourism operators want an indication of what conditions must be met before New Zealand readmits Australian visitors who spent $2.8 billion here in the year to March.

Last summer the fledgling operation entertained 3400 visitors with demonstrations of whip cracking, mustering, and horse whispering.

I tērā raumati, ka manaaki te whakahaere hou i ngā manuhiri e 3400 mā te whakaatu i te tākiritanga o te wepu, i te whakakao kararehe, me te whakararata hōiho.

Getting zapped by an electric fence was part of the experience. 'They pick a blade of grass and test an electric fence with it, they love it,' Douglas says.

Ko te whakahikotanga nā te taiapa hiko tētahi wāhanga o te wheako. “Ka katohia e rātou tētahi rau pātītī, ā, ka whakamātauhia tētahi taiapa hiko ki te rau rā, he ngahau tonu ki a rātou,” te kī a Douglas.

The former Deloitte financial analyst also runs a 'finishing school' for girls, teaching practical skills such as how to change a tyre, shoot a gun and fix a fence.

Whakahaerehia ai hoki e te kaitātari pūtea o mua ki Deloitte tētahi “kura whakapakeke” mō ngā kōhine, ā, whakaakona ana ko ngā pūkenga whaitake pēnei i te panoni wīra, i te puhipuhi me te whakatika taiapa.

Over the school holidays, Douglas is extending those sessions to boys, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, and families wanting some 'bonding' time on a farm.

I ngā hararei kura, e whakawhānuihia ana e Douglas aua kura rā ki ngā tamatāne, ki ngā matua tāne me ā rātou tamatāne, ki ngā matua wāhine me ā rātou tamāhine, ki ngā whānau hoki e hiahia ana ki te whaiwā kia “piri” i runga i tētahi pāmu.

'If you are an Auckland family with a bit of a gung-ho Dad and the kids are usually on their iPads, you can come to me for a half-day private experience. ($440 for two adults and two kids)

“Mehemea kei Tāmaki-makau-rau tō whānau, he wairua pukā tō te pāpa, ā, he rite tonu te piri a ngā tamariki ki ā rātou ī-Papa, haramai ki a au kia wheakotia te haurua rā i runga i te tūmataititanga. (E $440 te utu mā ngā pakeke e rua me ngā tamariki e rua)

'My passion project is probably going to be what saves the business because it's catering more for the domestic market, and I can largely do it myself.

“Ko taku kaupapa kaingākau pea te take e ora tonu ai te pakihi nā te mea kei te kaha ake tana whakaea i ngā hiahia o ngā kaihoko o te taiwhenua nei, ka mutu, ka taea e au te mahi me taku kotahi tonu.

'I'll always look after my bus tours, but I'm not hanging my hat on them coming back this year.'

“Ka tiaki au i aku tāpoitanga ā-pahi ā haere nei te wā, engari kāore au e kaha ana ki te whakapono ka hoki mai ērā i tēnei tau.”

The domestic market traditionally made up about 60 per cent of total tourism spending, and regions are all scrapping for a share of that money.

I mua rā, ko ngā whakapaunga pūtea a ngā kaihoko o te taiwhenua nei tōna 60 ōrau o te katoa o ngā whakapaunga pūtea ki te tāpoi, ā, e taki whawhai katoa ana ngā rohe kia riro i a rātou he wāhanga nō aua pūtea rā.

Sue Sullivan has spent 28 years working in the tourism industry and currently heads Christchurch Attractions, which runs the city's trams, punts, the Port Hills gondola, and adventure activities at Hanmer Springs.

Kua 28 tau a Sue Sullivan e mahi ana i te rāngai tāpoi, ā, ko ia te tumuaki o Christchurch Attractions, e whakahaere nei i ngā waka tautō o te tāone, i ngā waka kōporo hoki, i ngā wakarewa kei Ngā Kōhatu Whakarekareka o Tamatea Pōkai Whenua me ngā ngohe mātātoa ki Te Whakatakaka-o-te-ngārahu-o-te-ahi-a-Tamatea.

'Nothing will make up for the lack of internationals, and we all know we can't open the borders prematurely.'

“E kore e ea i te aha te korenga o te hunga nō tāwāhi, ka mutu, kei te mōhio tātou katoa kāore e tika ana kia wawe rawa te whakawāteatanga o ngā ripa tauārai ā-motu.”

She says tourism operators are desperate for the Government to outline criteria for the trans-Tasman border opening, so they can plan ahead.

E kī nei ia kei te rikarika katoa ngā kaiwhakarite mōkī tāpoi kia whakamāramahia e te Kāwanatanga te paearu e wātea anō ai te ripa tauārai ā-motu ki waenga i ngā whenua o Te Moana-tāpokopoko-a-Tāwhaki, kia wawe ai ā rātou whakaritenga mō muri nei.

“Until then everybody is finger-in-the air guessing because nobody knows what the requirements from each side will be.”

“Wai ka hua, wai ka tohu ka pēhea tae noa ki taua wā, nā te mea kāore he tangata kotahi e mōhio ana ki ngā herenga ka puta i ia taha.”

* Translation provided by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori/Māori Language Commission.