the regeneration of rural and regional towns in the …
TRANSCRIPT
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
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Locating New Zealand
New Zealand
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• 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
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• 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
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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
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• 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
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• 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
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• 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”
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• 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
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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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Regional Development