Winter Break 2024 Participant
My favorite part of this program was getting to engage with local people and hear their stories and learn about what work they are doing. One of my favorites was the lecture from the CEO of Destination Queenstown. He shared with us his ambitious goals to hit carbon zero in Queenstown by 2023. It was really interesting to hear about how he planned on hitting this goal and the new technology that they are implementing such as hydrogen power and electric motorboats. Also their plans to help make the tourism industry better for the local population. Many of the locals make their living off of the tourism industry in Queenstown, however the large number of people that come to visit can be overwhelming and damaging, and so Destination Queenstown is trying to help solve these issues by making tourism more sustainable for both the environment and for the locals. One example was building an electric or hydrogen powered overhead cable car from the airport to the center of Queenstown, that way the locals would be benefiting from reduced traffic from shuttles bringing people to and from the airport and the environment would benefit due to less carbon emissions from vehicles on the roads. Going with this, learned about regenerative tourism where tourists give something back to the local community and leave things better than they found it. We actually got to engage in this with WAI Wanaka where we helped them with their project of growing native vegetation on the lake front by weeding out the invasive plants and watering and placing mulch around the native plants they are trying to grow. It felt really great to help out and to give something back to the community while we were there visiting. Overall, it was so amazing getting to meet and connect with all these people and see the work that they are doing to not only improve New Zealand as a country, but to improve the environment for the plants and animals that are living there as well.
Winter Break 2024 Participant
The group trip to Hinewai Reserve was the most rewarding part of the program. This place stands out as a shining example of what can be accomplished when you dedicate yourself to bettering the environment. Getting the opportunity to meet Hugh was so lucky, and honestly inspiring, as he really showcases a lot of the virtues I love about people, and was more than happy to stop and chat with us students, even when we weren't scheduled to see him at all.
Winter Break 2024 Participant
The country is so forward in environmental policy and has a large appreciation for the indigenous population which was really cool to see and learn about.
