Announcement of Major Regional Initiative for Fiordland

Southland District Council
Forth St
Invercargill

It’s great to be here for the launch of a major economic, tourism, and regional development for Southland.

It’s about Fiordland – one of our most stunning natural areas in New Zealand. Indeed, it’s hard to find words which describe how beautiful it is.

Fiordland’s forests, lakes, and fiords make it a place of outstanding natural beauty – and its international reputation is a major drawcard for our tourism.

That photographic image of Milford Sound is instantly identifiable as New Zealand.

I’ve had the good fortune to come to Fiordland on a number of occasions over many years. It’s always special – the road up to the Homer Tunnel is one of the most spectacular landscapes anywhere in the world – and the great walks and tracks are wonderful too.

Yet the qualities which make Fiordland what it is, its very remoteness, make it difficult for visitors to fully appreciate its attractions, and for local businesses and operators to cope with the patterns of tourism activity.

The idea of managing that pressure through the development of some sort of purpose-built wilderness attraction in Te Anau emerged from within the community some years ago.

The Southland District Council, and later Venture Southland, took up the project and it has enjoyed broad community support from the public and private sector to get to this point.

Today, I am delighted to announce government funding for a Major Regional Initiative to establish the Discover Fiordland International Wilderness Centre.

The Government, through New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, will contribute $2 million for this project.

The centre, the first of this magnitude in New Zealand, will add another dimension to the region’s attractions.

It will be built on 15 hectares of DoC land, and will be a partnership between the public and private sector.

It will include a wildlife enclosure featuring rare, ground-dwelling birds, and leading edge, interactive technology.

The government has previously funded another Major Regional Initiative in Southland, the establishment of broadband internet connections, and Discover Fiordland will make use of that.

This technology will tell the story of Fiordland’s ancient and dramatic formation. It will trace the region’s history, from Maori folklore to European explorers and settlers.

The centre will paint a vivid picture of the region’s beauty and grandeur.

Te Anau is a natural gateway to Milford Sound, but it’s probably fair to say that the town is something of an undiscovered treasure.

The Discover Fiordland International Wilderness Centre will give tourists a reason to stay in Te Anau longer. That has the benefit of helping to spread the flow of visitors into Milford Sound more evenly through the day.

As we all know, at the moment there is a tremendous bottleneck between about 11am and 2.30pm every day, which poses a risk of a less than satisfactory experience for both visitors and local operators.

Te Anau – and Southland – will reap the benefits, both in terms of visitors staying longer and from the likely demand over time for new accommodation and facilities in the town.

It’s estimated that the Wilderness Centre could boost the country's economy by close to $60 million in its first four years of operation, and create more than 270 jobs.

Southland has identified tourism as one of its regional strengths and rightly so. The new Discover Fiordland International Wilderness Centre will add to that.

This initiative is a great example of partnership, with organisations including the Discover Fiordland Charitable Trust, Real Journeys, the government through NZTE, DoC, Venture Southland, and the Community Trust of Southland working together to make it happen.

Travellers want to be well informed about the regions they are exploring and we need to encourage them to stay longer in country.

I look forward to keeping up to date with the Discover Fiordland’s progress towards its opening in about two years time, and congratulate all those involved with your progress so far. Thank you.