Defining value: news in brief
Tourism yields in the spotlight
Tourism is much touted as an economic saviour for New Zealand, but how much is the tourism industry – and government – really gaining? Landcare Research is collaborating with Lincoln University and the Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand (TIANZ) on research into the industry’s financial and economic yields (including aspects of sustainability such as carbon costs), across all sectors, and down to individual businesses. Our part of the study also looks at whether central and local government are benefiting from their investment in tourism, for example through roading, ACC, Search and Rescue services and so forth – infrastructure that is imperative for the industry.
Public sector financial benefits appear to be positive, but the inclusion of environmental costs (accidents, noise, carbon costs) significantly reduces these benefits.
We also looked at the benefits and costs associated with different tourists (e.g. coach tourists, backpackers and campervanners). Responses to questions on travel motivation indicated the continuing importance of New Zealand’s natural environment.
Research next year will focus on ways to improve the tourism sector’s yield. Funding: Ministry of Tourism, TIANZ
Funding - Ministry of Tourism, TIANZ
Nature in the city – a vision for the future?
Natural features add value to cities. Landcare Research is investigating a radically different method of urban design, where suburbs are designed around natural features rather than these being an afterthought and old suburbs are retrofitted with natural elements.
In addition, promoting indigenous biodiversity in neighbourhoods is increasingly seen as boosting quality of life. Researchers want to find out how best to incorporate more indigenous biodiversity into new suburbs (the ratio of “ecostructure” to “infrastructure”), the level of pest control needed, and what planting schemes best attract native birds. They want to know how best to create a visual sense of a neighbourhood “identity” and, on a finer scale, to take opportunities to incorporate often endangered lowland plants into gardens, lawns, green roofs and traffic islands.
Landcare Research is working with developers on these concepts. Also, in conjunction with Lincoln University, the Christchurch City Council and the University of Auckland, we are designing and establishing demonstration gardens, preparing guidebooks for home gardeners and local authorities, and monitoring new subdivisions from inception to maturity. We are also comparing property price trends of areas with high biodiversity values to those without.
Funding: FRST
Māori urban housing options
Researchers are investigating how aspects of traditional Māori housing and settlement patterns could work in contemporary urban environments, especially for but not limited to Māori. The papakāinga or Māori “village” concept of communal-style living is one that can be low cost, and have low environmental impact as well as providing other social and cultural benefits.
Manaaki Whenua is working with various iwi and hapū who have expressed an interest in identifying ways of saving on both environmental and economic costs, to identify key settlement and housing values, and find out how sustainable features in urban and building design may be useful.
Projects include assisting Ngāti Whātua o Orākei to progress their plans for a sustainable papakāinga development, using aspects of Manaaki Whenua’s Low Impact Urban Design and Development programme. Work is also being done through the Tū Whare Ora project with Ngāi Tahu, and with Ngāi Tukairanga from Tauranga – who have looked to Manaaki Whenua’s “green” science building in Tāmaki for inspiration on sustainable design features.
Funding: Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
He rerekē ngā papakāinga o mua ki tā ngā papakāinga o nāianei, ēngari kei te tirohia mehemea ka taea te whiriwhiri i ngā āhuatanga pai o mua me ngā whakāturanga o nāianei. E toru ngā iwi kei te taha o Manaaki Whenua e tū ana, kimi haere nei i te huarahi kia pai ake te whakatū papakāinga ināianei na. Ko Ngāti Whātua o Ōrakei, me Ngai Tahu, me Ngai Tūkairanga o Tauranga Moana.
He “papakāinga” tā Manaaki Whenua kei Tāmaki, kei reira ētahi āhuatanga rerekē mo te hangā whare. He rerekē ngā whare paku – kārekau he wai. He rerekē te hopu wai – he wai marangai noa iho. Ā, koianei te tīmatanga o te hangā papakāinga e rite ana ki ngā papakāinga Māori o mua. Taihoa ake ka kitea mehemea he tika te haere o tēnei waka.
Reflections on Canterbury water
Canterbury manages 58% of all water allocated in New Zealand, and has 70% of the country’s irrigated land. As cheap water runs out and sustainable limits are reached, the region will need new mechanisms to allocate and distribute the resource to optimise economic benefit.
Landcare Research Science Leader, Sustainability and Society, Dr Bob Frame is a member of the Canterbury Strategic Water Studies Reference Group, an independent group established by Environment Canterbury to assess water storage and distribution options. It is made up of farmers, recreationists, environmentalists, community and business representatives and researchers.
The group has developed a preliminary sustainability framework that addresses the complexity of finding acceptable trade-offs between the needs of different water-user groups. A long-term perspective is taken of water availability, and topics include stream impacts, water storage options, water quality and land use. The goal is to encourage regional resilience through ensuring that several industries are supported, rather than favouring one main use of the water resource.
The framework will be tested and, after consultation and review, findings will be referred to the Canterbury Mayoral Forum.
Funding: MoRST Capability Fund