Stewart Barbara: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Stewart Barbara: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 26 June 2012. Volume:681;Page:3324. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
: 
 I rise to speak on behalf of New Zealand First to the financial review of the New Zealand Tourism Board. We all know that tourism is one of the largest industries in New Zealand. It accounts for almost 9 percent of our GDP and employs the equivalent of almost 180000 full-time positions for New Zealanders. As we heard previously the revenue is $63 million per day. 
However despite New Zealand priding itself on the basis of being a wonderful tourist destination we are actually slipping behind and it was mentioned in the weekend papers. The  
New Zealand Herald 
 headline was “NZ’s tourism cash cow is going dry says report”. So something definitely needs to happen. We know that tourists are not coming here as frequently as they previously did. The figures between April and May show a 1 percent decrease in the number of tourists who are actually visiting New Zealand—not good. The numbers of tourists from Australia Britain Germany and the US have all fallen in the last year. All of these tourists who always saw New Zealand as a wonderful destination are now suddenly not so sure. We are not seen now as a must-see destination which is where we actually should be. 
We cannot use the global financial crisis as a scapegoat for this industry’s poor performance. In reality the problem is far more complex. Australia Britain Germany and the US—they are all doing well to get through this financial crisis. We know that Germany is the powerhouse of Europe. The Australian economy is growing at one of the fastest rates in the Western World. Tourism in New Zealand is actually lagging due to a lack of advocacy. With the Prime Minister holding the tourism portfolio who would have thought that this would be the case? It comes down to a lack of advocacy and it is basically costing New Zealand employers and employees alike. 
Remember last year when the UK decided to increase its departure tax to New Zealand? The tourism Minister John Key took great offence at that. He said he would be having stern words with his mate Prime Minister David Cameron over in the UK. What came of these discussions? We know that departure taxes in the UK are still extremely high. The Minister of Tourism has basically failed to get these down to a level that is in our favour. He has failed to make good his word to actually do that. It is little wonder that the number of tourists from the UK is down. 
And it is the same again with Australia. Every day in the media we hear about the huge economic boom over the Ditch. We see our young people queuing in the departure lounges eager to find their brighter futures over the Ditch and unfortunately my young son is one of them. Yet despite the promising job opportunities in Australia tourist numbers from that thriving country are also down. Just over a month ago the Australian Government decided to put up the departure taxes to New Zealand by 17 percent. 
Todd McClay 
: That’s shocking. 
BARBARA STEWART 
: It is shocking. The tourism industry had been lobbying John Key and this Government to intervene. It knows that these extra taxes are going to hurt its industry. It knows that these extra taxes are going to hurt both employers and employees but nothing has happened—absolutely nothing. 
And of course the other reason that tourists are being put off is the high New Zealand dollar overseas. New Zealand First has been calling on the Government to extend— 
The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch) 
: I am sorry to interrupt the honourable member. The time has come for the dinner break. This debate is interrupted. I shall resume the Chair at 7.30. 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. 
BARBARA STEWART 
: What we are saying here in New Zealand First is that the other reason that is putting off our overseas tourists is the high New Zealand dollar. We have been calling on the Government to extend the powers of the Reserve Bank in order to better control our overvalued currency. The IMF estimates that the currency is between 10 and 20 percent overvalued and every day that it remains overvalued it actually puts unnecessary pressure upon our tourism industry. 
If we are going to take a stand and restore New Zealand to its top position as a really top tourist destination we need strong leadership in this area we need decent advocacy on the international stage by the Minister of Tourism and we need sound policies that will actually ensure that our tourists return. We cannot afford to fall off the global radar as a desirable destination and headlines in the “Business Day” section like “NZ tourism industry suffers”—