the regeneration of rural and regional towns in the …

THE REGENERATION OF RURAL AND REGIONAL TOWNS IN THE SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND THE IMPORTANT AND GROWING ROLE OF AGRITOURISM

Harvey C Perkins, University of Auckland and People and Places Ltd, New ZealandMike Mackay, Lincoln University, New ZealandNick Taylor, Lincoln University and Nick Taylor and Associates, New Zealand

2│ 1 s t WORLD CONGRESS ON AGRITOURISM │ 7-9 NOVEMBER 2018 │ BOLZANO/BOZEN - ITALY

Locating New Zealand

New Zealand


• New Zealand covers an area much the same as Italy, but has fewer than 5 million residents

• Collectively, the primary industries dominate the economy – unsubsidised agriculture

• c.55,000 farms – average size 252 hectares/623 acres

• 44% sheep&beef; 21% dairy; 15% horticulture & orchards; 5% crops; 6% mixed lifestock

• But tourism is the largest export sector and growing rapidly – the domestic tourism sector is very important

• Tourism relies greatly on the natural and rural environment (including small towns)

Tourism in New Zealand


• A 20th century feature of NZ tourism• 1980s saw a ‘flowering’ of agritourism - radical

neoliberal restructuring and farm subsidy removal = Agritourism for economic survival

• Today, a farm diversification tactic developed and managed by family farm entrepreneurs, often farm women – not multi-shareholder corporate entities

• Services domestic and international tourists • Over 25% of international tourists visited a farm

or orchard in 2015• A source of debate within the rural community

Agritourism in New Zealand


Types of agritourism in New Zealand:

• Accommodation (farm stays, B&B, luxury lodges, ‘glamping’ and Airbnb)

• Farm visits and tours (horse trekking, walking, 4WD)

• Seeing animals & participating in farm work• Hunting, fishing and other recreation activities

on and off farms, incl. extreme sports• Tracks & trails joining farm properties• Wildlife viewing• Food & wine experiences (including events)• Visiting heritage buildings

Types of Agritourism in New Zealand


• Agritourism interpreted as an ‘assemblage’ in the ‘global multifunctional countryside’

• Examples of our recent NZ research:

I. Multiple job-holding (Robinson, Perkins and Taylor, Sociologia Ruralis, 2008)

II. Amenity migration, wine and tourism (Perkins, Mackay and Espiner, Rural Studies, 2015)

III. Farm entrepreneurial experimentation on New Zealand farms (gender, family and succession planning) (Mackay, Nelson and Perkins, Geographical Research, 2018)

IV. Tourism diversification in rural areas and the need for strategic planning (Perkins and Rosin, The New Biological Economy, Auckland University Press, 2018).

Theorising Agritourism in New Zealand


• In NZ, tourism-led regeneration a key local policy issue

• Our current research emphasises rural small town regeneration initiatives in a neoliberal setting

• Linked significantly to agritourism developments in the rural hinterland of these towns –activities, accommodation, trails and allied property development

• Based mainly on qualitative social research methods but supported by secondary data analysis

Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities: New Zealand National Science Challenge


• Owners of Glenmac Farmstay emphasise:

o Farm size: 1583 hectares: merino sheep & cattle

o Links to local towns – Oamaru & Kurowo Activities offered: horse trekking, 4WD farm

tours, farm activities, walking, fishing, cycling (A2O), visits to local places of interest

o Accommodation & food options: B&B, the shearer’s quarters, campervan stopovers

An example of agritourism in our case study region: Glenmac Farmstay“A Typical New Zealand High Country Farm”


• Agriculture and agritourism are very well developed in NZ

• Agritourism is primarily a product of family farmer entrepreneurialism and is significantly gendered

• Taking an assemblage and global multifunctional countryside theoretical approach encourages the researcher to look well beyond the farm gate in the study of agritourism

• This in part emphasises the important linkages between agritourism enterprises, small rural town regeneration, private and public investment strategies, and their contribution to tourism and regional development and planning.

Conclusion


Emeritus Professor Harvey C Perkins, MA PhDPeople and Places Ltd/University of AucklandChristchurch, CanterburyNew ZealandT +64 21 822 [email protected]

New Zealand


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