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THE IMPACT OF TOURISM ON NEW ZEALAND
A review by Oktoberfest on General: New Zealand
December 29th, 2000


Author's product rating:   General: New Zealand - rated by Oktoberfest

Value for Money  
Shopping  
Nightlife  
Ease of getting around  
Family Friendly  

Advantages: Beautiful nature
Disadvantages: Too many people

Recommend to potential buyers: yes 

Full review
1. Introduction

My interest in New Zealand started, when I saw a film about the country´s important wine branch a few years ago. I was fascinated by New Zealand´s natural beauty and its broad landscapes. Although the film was basically about wine and there were consequently only a couple of scenes showing New Zealand´s beauty, the whole countryside amazed me. Therefore I decided to do my „Facharbeit" on New Zealand.

Because I have not yet been able to visit the country, this research on New Zealand is based on articles from books, magazines and the internet. The aim of my study is to show how tourism has affected New Zealand and how the authorities in New Zealand are trying to solve the problems caused by tourism. I have tried not to present too many facts, but to illustrate a couple of carefully chosen arguments, offering the reader an understandable and interesting report about the impact of tourism on New Zealand.

2. Tourism in New Zealand

2.1. Development of tourism

Tourism in New Zealand has a very long tradition. In 1901 a tourist and publicity department was founded, that „is reputed to be the oldest government-sponsored tourism promotion organisation in the world" . For many years, agriculture was the largest and most important sector in New Zealand´s economy. But the end of British colonization brought about a drastic decrease of agricultural exports to Europe. England in particular imported fewer products from its former colony. The European Community with its subsidized farmers, who produced more than Europe needed, did its best to take over some of New Zealand´s business in America, the Arab countries and Asia.

Therefore New Zealand´s inhabitants had to concentrate on other possible key industries. Although there have been found no natural resources such as for example oil, they had the ideal basic requirements for one of the world´s fastest growing businesses: tourism. The first people who came to visit New Zealand were tourists from England, who wanted to discover their former colony. Later Americans and Australians followed them to the „world´s most beautiful end", as New Zealand is called in many books and advertisements. Today visitors come from all over the world, especially from Australia, Japan, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Germany.

2.2. Importance of tourism today

A survey done in May 1992 presented that „Ninety eight percent of people saw tourism as important or very important to New Zealand´s economy. The overwhelming majority (96 percent) saw tourism as important or very important to their local economy." 1,485 New Zealanders of over 15 years were interviewed in 15 towns and cities. The results clearly show, what the minister of tourism, Jonathan Hunt, pointed out in 1988: „Tourism is now our top foreign exchange earner and a major employer." A couple of facts illustrate this statement:

In 1995 foreign exchange earnings were about NZ$ 3.5 billion per year, that was about 14 % of New Zealands total foreign exchange earnings. By 2000 the whole tourist industry should make about NZ$ 9 billion per year and offer 250,000 people a job. In 1996 New Zealand offered about 27,000 beds in hotels and more than 2,500 rooms were under construction (These numbers only include hotels. You have to imagine that there are also lodges, motels, campinggrounds,etc..). These figures show that tourism is one of New Zealand´s key branches and probably the most successful industry in the country.

2.3. Available activities

New Zealand has no castles and there are no other great man-made attractions such as old churches or buildings. But why do people from all over the world visit this country?

The New Zealand Tourism Board´s strategic plan describes the situation as follows:"Our special combination of landscapes and lifestyle must also be leveraged to provide holidays which replenish, restore and relax visitors and promote their health and vitality. The relaxed, outdoor lifestyle we take for granted is a competitive advantage." Although these are only theoretical targets of the Tourism Board, they show what kind of service seems to be successful in New Zealand´s tourist sector: Activities in or with the environment. A statistical survey shows for example that 57 % of all German visitors go on short bush walks during their visit and 29 % undertake long bush walks.

A possibility for visitors to discover New Zealand are the many special interest activities. The people who visit the country are not looking for mass tourism, but for nature, individualism („independent travel") and adventure. In 1988 for example, AJ Hackett founded the world´s first bungee jumping station near Queenstown. He created new motives for visitors to come to New Zealand: cliff hanging, rafting, four-wheel-biking, bungee jumping and balloon-riding are only some of the attractions of the „Big Playground" as New Zealand sometimes is called. Every year there are new inventions such as "Zorbing", a downhill ride in a big balloon that is covered by air-packs.

A tourist brochure describes the activities on offer as follows: „Zu Wasser, Luft und Lande (und sogar unter der Erde) bietet Neuseeland mit seinem ganzjährig milden Klima und der überaus abwechslungsreichen Landschaft Möglichkeiten für die verschiedensten Aktivitäten. Rund 30% der Fläche Neuseelands sind Natur- oder Landschaftsschutzgebiete, es gibt klare Seen


und Flüsse sowie fast menschenleere Strände. Egal, ob man es eher geruhsam oder abenteuerlich mag - es ist für jeden etwas dabei." Thirteen national parks and more than 1,000 huts offer the opportunities for innumerable trekking tours, about 400 golf courses invite golfers to improve their handicaps, 10,000 km of coastline make it possible to participate in all kinds of water sport. Outdoor activities such as (mountain-)biking, canoeing, wilderness fishing or skiing are available as well as horse riding or tours by helicopter or airplane. Museums like the new Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, that was opened in 1998 display the culture, art and history of the country.

2.4. Targets of the tourism policy

The target of the „New Zealand Tourism Board" is „a sustained commitment to high quality standards" . The country´s image is very „clean" and „green" and its environment is said to be unpolluted. Because of this, there is a strong trend away from mass tourism towards individual high quality tourism. A statement by a professional in tourism, Tony Booth, underlines this trend: „By concentrating on sheer numbers, we weren´t maximising our returns.... For every German tourist we can attract to New Zealand, we can lose two South Koreans and still maintain our tourism earnings." Therefore New Zealand´s major target group are not people looking for cheap all-inclusive holidays, but individual visitors who are ready to spend more money and are interested in culture and the country itself.

The typical German visitor has a relatively good image because of his average length of stay (28 days). German travellers therefore have the
highest expenditure per person (NZ$ 4,055 per visit ) of all visitors to New Zealand. Another positive aspect of the representative German guest is that he or she has a greater interest in culture than for example the Asian tourist. As a matter of fact, Germans are one of New Zealand´s main targets although only about 3.2 % of all visitors come from this country.
To reach a high quality level in tourism, three programmes were introduced:

KiwiHost:
„KiwiHost is New Zealand´s premier customer training programme designed to raise the quality of service and hospitality throughout the country."
A business can become a KiwiHost business when a minimum of 60 % of its staff take part in an one-day basic course.

Qualmark
„Qualmark is a nationally consistent independent rating scheme for New Zealand tourism services and facilities in the accommodation sector"
The rating is done by the New Zealand Automobile Association in cooperation with the Tourism Board. A company can reach up to five „stars".

The New Zealand Way
„The New Zealand Way is a brand mark appearing on New Zealand products and services which meet the highest standards of quality, excellence and


environmental responsability." There are advertisements for potential visitors in newspapers and magazines. In many cases these advertisements include the official „The New Zealand Way Brand" to show the reader what a high level of tourism the country has to offer. Another inventive strategy of many companies is to colour the advertisements in the colours of the Brand: blue and green. These colours are able to impress upon people New Zealand´s typical image:


Another way of promoting New Zealand is the „visiting Media Programme". Every year about 400 journalists, photographers, broadcasters, film crews

and other media personnel are invited to a free visit to New Zealand. Having returned home, they write articles, produce films or just publish colourful photos of the„Inseln der Kontraste" . The Tourism Board describes the consequences of the programme as very positive: „For every dollar spent in the programme, New Zealand receives in excess of 100:1 returned measured in equivalent advertising value."

Tourism in New Zealand also profits from several other trends in world tourism, as for example „the growth of free, independent travel by individuals, families and small groups...",or the „... growing demand for different cultural experiences" such as the culture of the Maori.

3. Impact of tourism on New Zealand

3.1. Economical impact

3.1.1. Employment situation

The rate of unemployment in New Zealand decreased from 10.1 percent in 1992 to 6.4 percent in 1997. One of the main reasons for this positive development has been the strong growth in the tourism sector. By 2000 the whole tourism business should have generated approximately 180,000 to 200,000 full-time jobs for New Zealanders (about six percent of the total number of jobs available in the whole country).

One group that profits from new jobs in tourism are the Maori people. Although most of them have blue-collar jobs (cleaning jobs in hotels for
example) and lower average incomes than other New Zealanders , a couple of them started providing successful activities like the „Whale Watching Experience" in Kaikoura, diving tours to the former Greenpeace-ship „Rainbow Warrior", overnight stays in their Maraes, or horse rides on the coastline of Hokianga. A statement describes the Maori position as follows: „Es gibt zwei Möglichkeiten, seine Feinde zu bekämpfen. Entweder man tötet oder man heiratet sie" . Some of the Maori have chosen the second way that gives them a chance to participate in the flourishing tourism sector.

In addition to the jobs offered directly by the tourist industry there are many jobs in businesses closely connected with the tourism sector. Transportation, accommodation, arts, culture, entertainment and food and beverage sectors also profit from the increasing number of tourists. However, critical voices assert that tourist growth will indeed produce new jobs, but they argue that these jobs will not be open to school leavers and the long-term unemployed.

Another disadvantage of jobs in the tourism sector is that many of them are seasonal. This means that people have a job for only a few months and in the off season they are out of work again. A report released by the Ministry of Commerce summarizes the work done by a so-called „Tourism Policy Group". The group examined different topics related to tourism. They pointed out that „ the degree of seasonality differs from region to region and is linked with the activity base available" and „... that the active tourist season has been extending every year" .

They also mentioned that a growing number of tourist companies are trying to retain experienced employees the whole year by reducing their working
time in the off season or sending them to activities like the KiwiHost customer training programme. This might be a solution for some companies but a ski lift operator for instance is dependent on seasonal staff and will probably not be able to pay all his personnel throughout the year, doing KiwiHost programmes or taking computing lessons. All in all the influence of tourism on the employment situation of New Zealand can be seen as positive.

3.1.2. Infrastructure and investments

The growing importance of tourism for New Zealand has also affected the development of the infrastructure. Large amounts of money have been spent on the improvement of roads, trains or the touristic infrastructure. In 1996 2,582 guest rooms, valued at 782 million NZ$, were under construction, another 8,321 rooms for about 2 billion NZ$ had already been planned. 708 million NZ$ were invested in the improvement of the touristic infrastructure, such as the extension of the airports of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton, the construction of the new National Museum of New Zealand „Te Papa Tongarewa", that was opened in 1998, or a couple of golf courses, restaurants, cafés, public toilets and information centres for tourists.

As a result of the great need for investment New Zealand is dependent on foreign investors´ money. The Tourism Board points out, that „New Zealand capital markets are too small to provide funding at the level required to keep pace with tourism growth. Foreign investment in the sector is therefore necessary, and overseas investors are encourraged to form partnership with

New Zealand companies to maximise the benefits of overseas and local expertise."

A survey made in 1992 showed the very positive attitude of the population concerning foreign investments.„Seventy one percent believed that New Zealand needed to encourage foreign investment as New Zealanders and New Zealand companies did not have the money themselves to build or upgrade tourist facilities. About two thirds (67%) thought foreign investment in tourism had more benefits than costs for New Zealand." The survey covered 1,485 New Zealanders of over 16 years old in 16 cities.

Organizations, such as the Tourism Policy Group, had discussed the necessity of investments in the tourism sector. One of the basic requirements its members had mentioned in their reports was to make dangerous roads safer and to put up more traffic signs, to provide better access to the main tourism destinations such as the Coromandel or Rotorua.

To sum the arguments, tourism has improved the infrastructure, but the demand for immense new investment also makes New Zealand dependent on foreign investors. Furthermore, a considerable portion of New Zealand´s income from tourism does not benefit its population, but foreign investors.

3.1.3. Price levels

In many popular tourist areas tourism has caused prices to rise. A good example is Queenstown on the south island of New Zealand. The construction

of many new hotels, motels and restaurants in the last few years has meant higher prices for land and houses. Most of the 3,000 inhabitants have moved
into residential areas, where the prices are lower, leaving the centre of the city to hordes of tourists and all kinds of shops and touristic activities, serving the visitors.

But not only the cities and their local residents are affected by the increasing number of tourists. Since many of them visit the out-back while in New Zealand, huts on the most busiest tracks are often overcrowded. Therefore the Conservation Department has planned to introduce an overnight hut-booking system and to limit the number of people getting access to the tracks. Another possible solution would be to introduce higher fees for the overnight stays. These two examples show how New Zealand´s
price levels are rising as a result of tourism.

3.1.4. Agriculture

Agriculture has always been a very important branch of New Zealand´s economy. But increasing numbers of tourists entering the country have affected this very traditional sector. Although New Zealand still has about twenty times as many sheep as people, contemporary farm owners no longer concentrate only on farming. They also offer rooms and home-cooked food for tourists. Travellers appreciate this chance of experiencing the typical lifestyle of New Zealand´s farmers and sometimes these farmstays lead to cultural exchanges between the farmers and their guests.

Of course most of these farmers charge their guests for their services and are happy about this lucrative extra income. But there are also 180 farms which offer free food and accommodation to tourists. In exchange the guests
are requested to help the farmers for about four hours a day, feeding animals, shredding firewood or doing some work in the garden. Another way in which tourism helps agriculture is that tourists visiting New Zealand buy products such as meat, fruit (sometimes also in the form of wine), vegetables or woolen goods (e.g. pullovers).

3.2. Cultural impact

In February 1998, the Museum of New Zealand („Te Papa") was opened in Wellington. With the opening, an enormous expenditure found its temporary climax: „Built on a site the size of three rugby fields, with a total floor area of 36,000 square metres, 80,000 cubic metres of concrete, and enough reinforcing steel to stretch from Wellington to Sydney, Te Papa was a massive undertaking." More than 14,500 grey and yellow stone panels were used, a number of shock absorbers are meant to protect the building in case of an earthquake. The reason for constructing such a gigantic museum was the increasing number of tourists visiting New Zealand and their demand for new attractions. Nevertheless, the museum is also for the benefit of New Zealand´s population.

A negative example for the tourism boom putting pressure on the development of „cultural" highlights is the new „Sky City Casino" in Auckland, also established in 1998. With over 100 tables, including tables for Roulette, Black Jack and Poker, and more than 1,000 gambling machines, it is

situated in the 328 m high „Sky Tower". This, the largest casino in New Zealand, will not only draw rich foreigners to the city of Auckland, but could lead to a taste for gambling among many residents. Therefore it cannot be seen as a cultural enrichment.

Over the last few years, more and more people have been employed in the cultural field. In 1996 one person in twenty was working in the cultural sector. Another example of the impact of tourism on New Zealand´s culture can be seen in the Queenstown area. Formerly, during the gold rush, the whole area was booming. When diggers gave up their search, the region declined. In the last few years Queenstown has taken on a new way of life because of tourism. Nowadays, the area of Queenstown offers a large number of cultural activities such as the coal museum in Westport. Furthermore, tourism has had another positive influence. Since there is a strong demand on the part of tourists to experience the Maori culture, many Maoris offer home-made souvenirs and provide bed & breakfast stays in traditional Maraes. The money they earn through these activities is used to maintain their own culture. They renovate their traditional assembly halls, sew clothes and paint their bodies in glaring colours. On the one hand the visitor can learn something about the Maori and experience their way of life but on the other hand many visitors regard Maoris as „living museums", or treat them as aliens, taking numerous photos and commercialising the whole Maori experience. As long as the visitor reacts to another culture sensitively, tourism can have a positive influence on its development and lead to an enrichment of the cultural services available in New Zealand.


3.3. Ecological impact

3.3.1. Sustainable growth

Members of New Zealand´s government as well as the leaders of the tourist industry have noticed that unpolluted nature is necessary for the successful development of tourism. Therefore they try to reach a sustainable growth:
"For tourism, sustainability means achieving growth in a manner that does not deplete the resource, cheat the visitor , or exploit the local population. It means New Zealand´s natural and physical resources should be used but not depleted, and any build-up of negative effects and irreversible damage should be prevented." This argumentation by Neil Plimmer, executive director of the Ministry of Tourism, describes the targets of New Zealand´s tourism policy.

To reach these targets, a Resource Management Act (RMA) was passed in 1991. The RMA is a law that forces people who want to construct a new building or offer a new activity to show all the possible effects their enterprise would bring. People who present solutions for minimising the negative effects of their plans (e.g. more traffic) or those who show awareness of possible dangers to the environment and culture often get permission for their project more quickly. As a result of the RMA, someone who is planning for example to build a new lodge on the coast has to get special permission for the use of land, the construction on the coast, the drainage of rain and for groundwork and clearance. Furthermore, one is not allowed to commercialise the Maori culture and has to show respect for the cultural places of the Maoris. Without the Resource Management Act, New Zealand would certainly already have lost some of its unique identity.

A good example of the need for moderate growth are the Waitomo caves. In the early 70´s, the number of tourists visiting the glow worm grottos increased rapidly. The breath of hundreds of people exploring the caves every day caused increasing carbon dioxide concentrations and dryed the cave environment. The glow worms stopped glowing and most of them died.
The first measure taken to preserve this very important feature was to close the caves to the public. Fortunately, the glow worms returned to their grottos after a few months. Since then, only smaller groups have been allowed to visit the caves. As a result of the reduced number of people entering the caves, it is an even more remarkable experience than it was before , but it also has become more expensive. But all in all, New Zealand has prevented some of the negative effects mass tourism would have brought about by ensuring sustainable growth.

3.3.2. National parks

About 30 percent of New Zealand´s territory is under nature conservation. There are thirteen national parks and three maritime parks. About 55 percent of all visitors to the country go to one or even more of these parks while they are in New Zealand. Thus there has always been a conflict between „the pressure to develop facilities and the desire of park managers to preserve the natural state of nature" . Most of the national parks already offer tourist facilities such as shops or offices, hotels or huts, tours by boat, bus, plane or helicopter. But there is still a demand for more attractions to draw more visitors into the parks and with them more money.

Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park is an excellent example of the conflict between the wish to attract more guests and to keep nature unspoiled. Milford Sound is the only fiord in New Zealand that can be reached directly by car or bus. As it is one of the most beautiful sights in the country, it attracts more than 200,000 tourists a year. The real difficulties started in the 70´s when more and more cars and buses tried to get into the small parking area and hordes of tourists crowded into the fiord. The
authorities found two possible solutions. Either they had to limit the number of people visiting the area, or they had to redevelop the existing and rather limited facilities. After several years of discussion between industry, government and local residents a compromise was found. The parking area and several facilities were enlarged to accomodate up to 4,000 visitors per day.

The dramatic increase in the number of tourists visiting the natural parks has already had negative effects. A study in 1989 demonstrated that in 21 parks serious damage had been done to existing facilities. Therefore it is clear that unlimited numbers of people visiting the parks could have dire consequences for the reservations.

3.3.3. Ecotourism and the Maori

Ecotourism is one of the main aspects of New Zealand´s marketing strategy. Dr. Michael Hall of the Department of Communication at the University of Canberra explains why ecotourism plays such an important role in todays tourism business:„It gives great pictures; it offers pretty much what people want when they wish to escape from pressured polluted urban living, and it

offers a sort of moral expiation of guilt for our contribution to the degration of our own planet." Hall differentiates two „dimensions" of ecotourism. On the one hand the „green" and „clean" tourism is a form of special-interest tourism that targets a certain group of visitors and therefore offers specific activities and services. On the other hand ecotourism is a form of
development that does less damage to the environment than mass tourism does.

An important factor for ecotourism in New Zealand are the Maoris who make up about thirteen percent of the whole population. For a long time, Maori interests remained practically unnoticed and therefore tourists often ignored Maori culture. But now the Maoris would like to become the owners of about 70 percent of New Zealand´s southern island, including large areas of national parks, lakes and rivers. They do not want to exclude all Pakeha (Non-Maoris) or ask for entrance fees to the parks, as many critics assert, but to participate in the profitable tourist business by offering tourist activities and developing tourism in the parks themselves. Although some activities offered by the Maoris, such as the whale watching experience in Kaikoura, are very popular and successful, the Maoris are not yet involved in the management of the national parks. This is only one example of the many quarrels between Pakehas and Maoris which result from the growth of tourism in New Zealand. The Maori no longer want to be regarded as wild and uncivilized, but to keep their traditions and share in the lucrative tourism industry.

3.3.4.Geothermal activity

Underground there is an enormous amount of geothermal activity in New Zealand. The region around Rotorua on the northern island is well known for its geysers, boiling springs, bubbling mud holes and the characteristic sulphur smell. Every year thousands of people come to Rotorua, visiting attractions such as the „Champagne Pool", a sparkling geothermal basin,
shining in countless variations of pink, yellow and green, or the „Lady Knox Geyser", a well-known geyser shown in almost all guides to New Zealand:


The „Lady Knox Geyser" has one real „magic" attribute. The spring rises into the air at exactly quarter past ten every day. Employees throw a piece of soap into the spring every morning and, incredible as it may seem, the spring water rises majestically into the air, presenting a wonderful spectacle which the tourists love to watch. But the crater, from which the spring comes,

is also artificial. The „magic"geyser gives an impressive example of how tourism has affected the region of Rotorua. If the visitor expects the geyser to spout, it must spout in a grand way, even if this is not completely natural.

Originally, Rotorua became famous for its hot mineral waters that were supposed to have healing powers. However, increasing numbers of tourists
also created growing demand for cheap geothermal energy for hotels and motels. Within 60 years more than 400 wells were drilled, providing heating for hotels and private homes as well as hot water for their swimming pools. In the late 60´s, an overuse of the inexpensive energy led to a decline in the geothermal activity: „The geysers stopped spouting, water levels in the hot springs fell and many stopped boiling. Bubbling mud pools fell silent. The very thermal wonders which had drawn visitors to the region, and had subsidised the tourist industry built to service those visitors were under threat."

A couple of investigations showed the need to act as quickly as possible. The private use of geothermal resources was prohibited and Rotorua´s major hotels as well as private homes had to give up their wells. Because of the large amounts of energy used by the hotels the geysers stopped spouting in their usual wonderful way so fewer tourists came to see them. But when the hotels were forced by law to block up their geothermal wells, the geysers gradually began to spout as before and tourists returned. At the present Rotorua is trying to find the balance between commercial demands of the tourist industry and the conservation of natural resources.

The example of Rotorua shows how a whole region depends on tourism. It is also a startling example of how the overuse of a resource such as geothermal energy damages the resource itself but also has a negative influence on the development of tourism in general.

3.3.5. The new millennium

Situated in the South Pacific, New Zealand will be the world´s first country „to see the sun rise on the Year 2000 - the dawn of the new millennium" . The country hopes to profit from this natural advantage through organising a great number of events. In fact the series of events already started in 1998 in Gisborne, the world´s most easterly city, with a couple of festivals, parties, sport- and cultural events. The highlights of these events will take part between December 1999 and January 2000. There will be the „First Light Te Kowhai Music Festival",a concert in Muriwai, which will include the best Maori musicians together with musicians from all over the world , the „Pacific Tall Ships Festival", the „Millennium 2000 Golf Tournament" in Auckland, the „Gisborne 2000 Millennium Party"which is „a 24 hour long light & sound spectacular; a giant gathering of stars, VIP´s and celebrities; an event the whole world will want to see" , the „Millennium Marathon" on 1 January 2000, the „World Masters Orienteering Championships 2000", „Peak 2000", and finally the „2000 First To The Sun" bicycle ride.

These events will draw large crowds of tourists to New Zealand and therefore could have grave consequences for the environment. It will be a bit more difficult to find peace and quiet and those who want it will have to go out into the countryside. Even if there are a limited number of tickets

available for some entertainments such as „Peak 2000", the ecological effects of the millennium tourism will make themselves felt. The authorities of the „Peak 2000" are charging NZ$ 700 to enjoy„spectacular entertainment, observe the final sunset, midnight and the first sunrise, and culminate with a
Champagne Breakfast" . Isn´t this rather a high prise to pay ?

Certainly these „millennium events" will enable New Zealand´s tourist industry to earn some extra „kiwi dollars", but they could have a bad effect on the natural environment.

4. Summary

As it is one of the most important sectors of New Zealand´s economy, tourism provides many jobs and is New Zealand´s top foreign exchange earner. By enforcing sustainable growth, the country has been able to prevent some of the negative effects, which mass tourism can bring. In New Zealand one doesn´t see row upon row of concrete block hotels and holiday flats. The buildings for tourists are, as yet, very discreet.

Nevertheless tourism is having certain negative effects. In some places hotels, museums and touristic facilities abound. In many areas, tourism has already caused prices to rise and has displaced residents who have moved into quieter areas. Hotels, restaurants, shops and bars have been built in former residential areas. The improvement of the touristic infrastructure has created a demand for greater investment than New Zealand could provide and therefore the country has become dependent on foreign funds. Tourism does however offer a chance for the Maoris to sustain their culture with the revenue they get from tourists. The funding of national parks protects the environment but is leading to quarrels between the Maori and the Pakeha

over the management of the parks. A testing time will be the end of 1999, and the beginning of 2000, when crowds of visitors will invade New Zealand to celebrate the new mil 
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