The Green Party welcomes Labour backing a Matariki public holiday.

Tourism is important to Aotearoa, but it’s been hit hard by COVID-19. Our clean, green image and spectacular nature is what draws people to visit. We need to live up to that image and protect those landscapes. The tourism industry can be productive, sustainable and inclusive. Encouraging local holidays in Aotearoa is more important than ever. Now is the time for the Government to work with communities, iwi, hapū, and businesses to create jobs that will prepare the tourism sector...

The Green Party is calling for Matariki to become a public holiday, allowing New Zealanders to celebrate the Māori New Year over a long weekend.

Tourism’s economic success relies on Aotearoa New Zealand’s clean, green image. Tourism can be good for communities, jobs, and the environment Overseas tourists should contribute financially to the infrastructure of regions they visit and to the protection of the natural environment that attracts them to New Zealand. Campgrounds should be protected, including by considering special zoning for them. The Department of Conservation (DOC) should not create further campgrounds in areas that are environmentally sensitive. DOC should be directed to prioritise...

A programme to build a skilled tourism workforce and a recovery plan for the critically endangered kākāpō are among the first projects to receive funding through the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL), Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. An initial investment plan of ten tourism and conservation projects will receive $18 million from the IVL this year, with an expected $42 million to be invested in these ten projects over five years. Kelvin Davis said...

Parliament has today passed legislation enabling the collection of the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) from 1 July 2019. It will also enable digital processing of the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA), which will be mandatory from 1 October this year.

We believe our National Parks, rivers, beaches, and wildlife are our taonga and are worth fighting for. The Tourism Levy, a small contribution paid by international visitors, will bring in tens of millions of dollars to help protect our environment for generations to come. The Tourism Levy is a $20 increase on existing border charges for international visitors only. The policy began as a Green Party members' bill and has now been adopted as Government policy. The International Visitor Levy...

National's tourism funding announcement falls short of what’s needed to cope with skyrocketing tourist numbers, and a bump in DOC funding for tourist facilities will do nothing to halt the loss of our threatened species, the Green Party said today. Tourism Minister Paula Bennett today announced a $15 million-a-year increase to tourism infrastructure funding, and $76 million over an unspecified period of time for the Department of Conservation (DOC) to develop tourist facilities. “Paula Bennett's tourism fund is mostly a...

The Green Party says it's irresponsible of Paula Bennett to dismiss a tourist levy to help pay for infrastructure and conservation, when small communities are staring down the barrel of an extra 1 million visitor over the next five years. Tourism Minister Paula Bennett said she does not support a tax on tourists over the weekend. “The whole country benefits from tourism, but it's ratepayers in areas like the Mackenzie Country, West Coast, and the Queenstown-Lakes District who foot the...