Turning a $2.7 million loss into a $300k profit and pioneering New Zealand’s first global ski pass are just some of the achievements that have two Christchurch tourism leaders vying for national awards.
Anne Newman from Christchurch Adventure Park and David Kennedy from the International Antarctic Centre have both been named as finalists for two prestigious leadership awards at this year’s New Zealand Tourism Awards.
Business Canterbury Chief Executive Leeann Watson says: “Great tourism leaders are essential to driving the city’s economic growth, and the results that David and Anne have achieved are worthy of recognition.”
With two major fires, flooding and a pandemic, Anne Newman has faced significant challenges in her role as General Manager at the Christchurch Adventure Park. “We like twists, turns and challenging routes at the Adventure Park, but the past few years have been a lot to manoeuvre through,” says Ms Newman.
Ms Newman is one of four finalists vying for the Akiaki Emerging Tourism Leader Award 2024, with judges commending her ability to successfully steer the Christchurch Adventure Park through multiple crises. After the Port Hills fire in 2017, the park took a $2.7 million loss. Two years later, it posted a near $300,000 profit.
“Everyone knows it’s not about one person, our success is reflective of the amazing team around us that helped us get through. With the support of our village, we’ve been able to turn the business around, and today we’re thriving. Our community has really rallied around us when we’ve needed them most. We’ve had no shortage of people wanting to muck in – whether helping plant native trees, volunteering when we have events or helping build trails.”
The Christchurch Adventure Park is also in the running for the 2024 Wayfinder Community Engagement Award – the judges were impressed by how the team has engaged the community since its establishment in 2016. To date, 12,000 native plants have been planted with the help of volunteers, enticing native tui back to the Port Hills as well as creating a natural lizard habitat.
With more than 30 years of experience in the tourism industry, David Kennedy heads up the International Antarctic Centre, following nearly four years as Head of the Christchurch Antarctic Office for ChristchurchNZ. Mr Kennedy is a finalist in the 2024 Auckland Airport Tourism Industry Champion Award category, for individuals who have been passionate champions of the tourism industry for over ten years. “My background has been in Wellington and Queenstown, but moving to Christchurch with my family eight years ago was an opportunity to be part of the rebirth of Christchurch; we could see a vibrant new city rising from the ground and knew that Christchurch was about to have its time in the tourism sun.”
During his 20 years down south, Mr Kennedy held major tourism leadership roles including Chief Executive of Queenstown’s tourism promotion body, Destination Queenstown, and Regional Manager of Ngāi Tahu Tourism, overseeing the management of iconic national experiences such as Shotover Jet and Franz Josef Glacier Guides. He was also part of a team that developed the world’s first global ski pass, where season passholders at one resort destination could ski half price at any of the other member’s resorts.
“Through tourism I’ve been fortunate to have met Presidents, Princes and Prime Ministers, but it’s the talented and committed people I’ve worked with that have given me my most treasured memories of tourism. Knowing you have worked as a team to deliver lifetime memories for guests to our country is the best award you can ever receive.”
Mr Kennedy says plans are underway to redefine the International Antarctic Centre’s tourist offerings and offer new and improved experiences. “The team at the International Antarctic Centre is excited about what’s to come under the recently announced new ownership of Willowbank. We are developing plans to redefine the Centre’s offering and create new experiences that will continue to educate and excite guests about the wonders and importance of Antarctica.”
In 2023, the tourism sector contributed $1.2 billion towards GDP in Christchurch City, and in the year ending August 2024, international visitor spending grew by 19%. Ms Watson says these sorts of world-class attractions have helped to establish Christchurch as a key destination, with visitors spending longer in the city and region and contributing more to the local economy. “Having passionate, experienced people leading our key tourism experiences has been instrumental to the growth in our local tourism sector and Business Canterbury is proud to have this bold and aspirational leadership within our business community.”
The winners of the New Zealand Tourism Awards will be announced during a gala dinner in Auckland on Wednesday, 6 November.
