A 100-year vision for the Mackenzie Basin is being created to help guide investment, future infrastructure and sustainable tourism.
Sealy Tarns trail in Aoraki Mt Cook National Park. Photo: 123RF
The project is being led by the Mackenzie District Council and mana whenua with involvement from the government, visitors and the local community.
The Destination Management Plan will be developed for Te Manahuna which includes iconic destinations Aoraki Mt Cook National Park, Lake Tekapo, the upper Waitaki Valley and the Lindis Pass.
While the vision is for the next century, it includes a planning horizon of 30 to 50 years.
Mackenzie District Mayor Graham Smith said rapid tourism growth had put unsustainable pressure on local communities, the environment, and infrastructure in the past.
It had been challenging for a council with a small ratepayer base, he said.
"The Destination Management Plan will include actions, likely costs, and policy and regulation guidance to help us move forward from that over the coming decades.
"It will set a direction for our future tourism to achieve regenerative outcomes not only for our environment but for mana whenua and residents in our communities."
Public can share ideas over the next month during drop-in sessions or on the Te Manahuna Ki Uta local council's website.
The aim was to get people thinking long into the future about what they wanted Te Manahuna / Mackenzie Basin to be known for, the type of tourists they wanted to attract, and how this would shape life for locals, Smith said.
"On our 'must have' list is resilient and viable communities, high-quality liveability for residents and targeted, quality experiences for visitors.
"We also want to protect and celebrate our unique natural landscape and the science and spirituality behind it, our history and culture. It's time to rebalance our heritage story and reflect mana whenua's experience and whakapapa too."
The project was granted $711,000 from the Provisional Growth Fund in collaboration with the Department of Conservation.
A view of Lake Tekapo, in the Mackenzie Basin. Photo: Unsplash / Sébastien Goldberg
Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said the iconic destination made Aotearoa so appealing to international visitors and increasingly attracted domestic tourists off the beaten track.
"This project is not only strategically important for the local communities of the Mackenzie, it aligns closely with work to enhance the entire tourism industry in this country," Nash said.
"We want to ensure Aotearoa remains one of the world's most aspirational travel destinations. We must mitigate the negative impacts associated with tourism and ensure the full cost of tourism is priced into the visitor experience, so ratepayers and taxpayers don't carry an unfair burden.
"Partnerships across central government, local government and iwi are key to achieving this."
Upoko Runaka and the project's mana whenua spokesperson David Higgins said Te Manahuna was an incredibly special place, much loved by visitors and locals.
"Its fragile ecosystem is home to hundreds of threatened or endangered species, some not found in any other parts of New Zealand," he said.
"It's a significant cultural landscape for mana whenua, and its clear night skies offer some of the best stargazing on earth. It's important we get this right to ensure we protect this special and rare place for future generations."
Drop-in sessions will be held in Twizel on 19 July and Fairlie on 20 July.