• The government announced $500,000 spend yesterday for an ad campaign targeting Australians during the 'shoulder season'
• Labour and the Greens say there should be more spending on tourism infrastructure like walking tracks
• Labour says the 'Everyone Must Go' slogan makes New Zealand sound like a clearance-sale item, the Greens say it could be applied to the long bathroom queues at local facilities
Labour and the Greens say the government should focus spending on tourism infrastructure, after the announcement of $500,000 for an ad campaign in Australia.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Tourism Minister Louise Upston announced the 'Everyone Must Go' campaign near Auckland's Britomart on Sunday, saying it would lift Australian visitor numbers from the current 88% of pre-Covid levels to 93%.
The government-led campaign would run from February 20 for about a month, with contributions from the private sector expected to extend that through March and April.
Labour's tourism spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel said the party supported the goal of growing the tourism industry, but the government's initiative was a highly targeted short-term approach that offered little long-term vision.
"The theme with the policies that have been rolling out across the board recently seem a bit knee jerk to me.
"Last week in the House, the Minister, I expressed the concerns from regions about infrastructure - so we need to be looking at how we leverage our amazing country and safeguard it as well.
"We've had the digital nomad announcement, now we've got this - and the attitude of anyone, anytime, anywhere, is concerning."
Bringing in more tourists would put even more pressure on already struggling tourism infrastructure, which would in turn hurt New Zealand's reputation, she believed.
"Where I live, Tai Rāwhiti, where we've got Mount Hikurangi - the first sunrise in the world - but we've also got a very fragile infrastructure.
"Heavy rainfall still puts us at risk of road closures ... and without any commitment from the government to invest in improving infrastructure to support the influx and numbers that they want to attract to Aotearoa, that's a risk.
"If we bring people and our infrastructure can't handle them, they're going to have a poor experience, and then they're going to take that messaging back to ... whichever part of the world they come from."
"We already have nearly 1.4 million Aussies coming [each year] - let's encourage them to stay longer, let's encourage them to explore the regions - whether it's the stingrays on the east, dolphin-watching in Akaroa, or even the Wairarapa Dark Sky. Just going for mass tourism won't work."
She said it was "totally weird" the government was raiding the International Visitor Levy to pay for it too - particularly given levy is paid for by tourists, but Australians were exempt.
National opposed the levy when it was brought in, but once in government nearly tripled the fee from $35 to $100.
"The International Visitor Levy was set up by [former Green MP] Eugenie Sage to protect nature and to manage tourist infrastructure, often in partnership with councils. I don't think people are going to be too happy it's all siphoned off for a marketing campaign and a short-term marketing campaign at that," Wade-Brown said.
"When it was increased to $100 submitters absolutely said 'protection of nature and better tracks, better toilets, better infrastructure, not more marketing'.
"There's not enough money being put into track, into Department of Conservation huts, and into protecting the very wildlife that people come to see. There's not much point in going dolphin watching if there aren't dolphins, or looking for kiwi if we haven't protected their habitat.
"It's totally weird that the IVL ... is being charged to all sorts of other nationalities, but not the Australians, and now we're using it to market to Australians."
'Clearance bin' and 'queuing for toilets' messaging
Tangaere-Manuel was also concerned at the message being sent by the 'Everyone Must Go' slogan, saying when she first heard it "I thought, 'surely not'."
"I mean, it makes New Zealand sound like we're in a clearance bin at a sale ... the irony of that messaging is, that's how Aotearoa New Zealanders are feeling right now. There's been so many cuts, so people feel like 'well, what's not on the list of cuts'."
"We've just really got to remember that people come here for our beautiful landscapes, and we have to manage those well ... the Prime Minister's made jokes about keeping things simple with Australians but let's not insult them - Australians too appreciate our beautiful landscapes and culture."
Wade-Brown saw other connotations in the slogan.
"I think 'Everyone Must Go' might refer to the need for toilets in some of our high-tourist spots. I mean, the queues are ridiculous.
"I was up in Paihia for Waitangi, and people were saying when the cruise ship comes in it doesn't really benefit many tourism operators, because too many people here for too short a time.
"They don't go kayaking, they don't go diving, but, my goodness, they queue at the toilets."
