Fishing for tourists : perceptions from the Stewart Island community's of the creation of Rakiura National Park

Abstract

This thesis explores the way in which New Zealand's most recent national park was created from the perspective of the affected community, presenting a qualitative case study of the creation of Rakiura National Park as perceived by Stewart Islanders. It investigates their understandings and experience of the transition from being a community based on fishing and crayfishing to one focused on nature based tourism.

The strong link between conservation and tourism in New Zealand dates back to the creation of New Zealand's first national park, Tongariro, in 1894. The creation of New Zealand's 14th and latest national park, Rakiura (Stewart Island), in 2002 is a continuation of this relationship. Conservation and tourism have existed in a symbiotic relationship throughout their history on Stewart Island, with either one unable to exist without the other.

Supporting the primary qualitative data, the thesis incorporates historical research which provides the context within which the creation of the national park must be viewed. In presenting the findings, the concepts of 'path dependency' and Pawson and Le Heron's (1996) 'Geographic Restructuring Model' have been employed to understand and explain the events that led to, and enabled, the creation of the National Park.

The creation of Rakiura National Park be contextualised within the historical 'boom-bust' pattern that industries on Stewart Island have generally followed. This pattern reflects the interplay of local attempts to derive a living and macro forces that continue to influence the viability of industries on Stewart Island. A number of resource extractive industries have been attempted on the Island over the last 200 years, nearly all of which have eventually failed. This has left the majority of the Island's natural environment in the pristine condition; a prerequisite for a national park. 'Pristine wilderness' attributes are widely recognised as New Zealand's main attraction for visitors. The conservation estate and natural environment have been used to great affect in promoting New Zealand as a tourism destination; central to this are the national parks. Within this tradition, Rakiura National Park has emerged as a drawcard for tourists, promising the economic reinvigoration of the Island; and the new National Park was therefore gazetted by the Govt in 2002.

While the new Rakiura National Park would therefore seem to represent a 'win-win' situation for Islanders and conservation, the reality is more complex and involves substantial costs as well as benefits. This thesis engages with the ways in which Islanders interpreted the process by which the park was created and considers their views on the likely consequences. This leads to a series of recommendations for the future management of the conservation process by central govt, highlighting the critical importance of preliminary engagement with affected communities.