-
An Australian television advertisement promotes Tourism New Zealand's "100 Percent Pure You" campaign - Source: Supplied -
Watch Video
A tourism expert says New Zealand should not rebrand itself overseas even though the country's "100% Pure" image is under pressure.
Prime Minister John Key has been forced to defend the 100% Pure slogan used in New Zealand tourism advertising overseas, and the country's clean green image, in an interview on BBC Television's Hard Talk programme.
The interviewer put to Key that a leading environmental scientist in New Zealand had said we are delusional about how clean and green we are, because species are threatened with extinction and half the country's lakes and 90% of lowland rivers are now classed as polluters.
Key replied that he didn't share that view and "if anybody goes down to New Zealand and looks at our environmental credentials and looks at New Zealand then for the most part I think in comparison with the rest of the world we are are 100% pure".
The head of tourism studies at Otago University, James Higham, told TV ONE's Breakfast the clean green brand image is vital to New Zealand and its economy. He said the brand is very important to tourism and tourism is important to the export sector.
Higham said it's a brand that has stood the test of time and it's crucial we do our very best to abide by it.
He said it's very hard to argue against the facts about pollution and species dying out, and the 100% Pure brand is coming under increasing scrutiny.
"And we have to do our level best to try and live up to the claims and do whatever we can to ensure that we are as clean and green as we possibly can be. It won't be 100%, but we have to try and aspire to that," he said.
"Any claim to be 100% anything invites scrutiny and so we must accept that. But the reality is we're living in a world of increasing environmental concerns, increasing carbon constraints."
He said his personal view is that New Zealand should not try to change the 100% Pure brand.
"The brand has been incredibly successful. It is a brand that can be criticised and we need to counter those criticisms."
Higham said New Zealand simply needs to be able to demonstrate what the country is trying to do in keeping with the brand's message. He says there's much good work going on, for example on the conservation of critically endangered species.
