Congratulations to Dale Stephens, who has been re-elected as NZ Māori Tourism’s Chairperson on Thursday.
Dale, who is the Kaitohu – Director Māori Business at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, first came on the Board in 2013 and was elected as Chair in 2016.
With tourism being Aotearoa’s largest export industry, Dale knows that Māori are the backbone of our tourism success.
“(Tourism) is a sector that truly plays to the strengths of our people around the key concepts of manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga and whakawhanaungatanga,” he said.
“Māori and tourism have a natural synergy within these concepts and our visitors are enriched by our unique world view.
Dale’s plans for the next three years will focus on not only consolidating the rapid growth of the sector, but also planning for and engaging with innovation to drive tourism in both our main tourist areas and our regions.
“This ensures that more of our people are fully engaged in this wonderful sector,” he said.
