This is regenerative tourism in action — a model that ensures that tourism gives back more to people and places than it takes. This vision was previously proposed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) during the Covid period. New Zealand is working to turn that once-proposed vision into a reality. But what does it mean for the future of sustainability, and can we truly offset emissions through such efforts? This is the challenge New Zealand is grappling with today.
Some New Zealanders might say, even if international tourists engage in restoration activities such as tree planting, their carbon footprints cannot be immediately offset by the saplings. If emissions cannot be directly addressed, how can we justify the idea that regenerative tourism can contribute to meaningful environmental outcomes? Why are we investing in regenerative tourism if the benefits are unclear?
The true potential of regenerative tourism lies in its ability to create long-term, cumulative positive impact. Rather than merely offsetting emissions, it fosters lasting environmental and societal benefits through collective actions that extend beyond individual contributions.
Consider the Jobs for Nature scheme launched in 2020 as part of the Covid recovery package. The initiative provided jobs for pest control, forest restoration and freshwater conservation, delivering significant environmental benefits. But with the funding set to expire, this five-year scheme is nearing its end, leaving many projects and workers facing an uncertain future. Without sustained funding, vital restoration efforts risk stalling. This is where regenerative tourism could play a pivotal role in providing a reliable revenue stream to sustain momentum in conservation and restoration.
Some might ask, beyond financial support, how can regenerative tourism best optimise New Zealand’s conservation efforts?
A prime example is New Zealand’s use of exotic pine forests for carbon credits. While this might seem pragmatic — fast-growing monocultures that capture carbon without sacrificing tourists’ freedom — the reality is far more complex. These monocultures are rich in short-term carbon uptake but disastrous for biodiversity, they also carry the risk of harbouring pests that damage surrounding land, spreading wilding pines, and releasing stored carbon through wildfires.
University of Otago researcher Inga Smith and her colleagues have shown that to offset carbon emissions from international tourists, New Zealand would need to plant the equivalent of Stewart Island’s entire forest every year. This large-scale planting conflicts with food production. Ultimately, it is New Zealanders who bear the consequences at the expense of native biodiversity.
For all these reasons, we must decouple the goals of reducing emissions and actively contributing to sustainability. While both are essential, they are not interchangeable. Carbon offsetting may mitigate emissions, but it fails to address the root causes of ecological decline, ultimately benefiting speculators rather than New Zealanders.
When international tourists participate in restoration programmes, they are not just planting trees — they help create habitats for New Zealand’s endemic species, improve air and water quality, and increase long-term carbon sequestration. More importantly, they align their actions with Māori values such as kaitiakitanga. So regenerative tourism is itself an ethical stance because it would give future generations both long-term carbon and biodiversity gains.
Unfortunately, the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop29) did little to address these concerns, but focused mainly on new rules for carbon markets. As ecosystems continue to collapse, real solutions lie in collective action that goes beyond balancing carbon credits. Regenerative tourism is already taking root in places like Karitāne, but the question is: will New Zealand step up to lead this ethical revolution? This is a window of opportunity for the country to make rational decisions that drive collective action while maximising the benefits of regeneration. — Written together with Prof Lisa Ellis.
Yi Bian is a PhD candidate in the Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management at Griffith University (Australia). Prof Lisa Ellis teaches philosophy at the University of Otago.
