Advisory Committee

The Ecotourism NZ Advisory Committee provides guidance to Ecotourism NZ its strategic plan and for the development of its services.  The committee supports Ecotourism NZ by coordinating with relevant industry associations, business and community leaders, and Crown departments and agencies.

Ecotourism NZ Advisory Committee members: 

Hugh Canard
Director, Canard Consulting Limited
Hugh Canard is the Project Manager for the West Coast Major Regional Initiative (MRI), a portfolio of 15 tourism projects from the Heaphy Track in the north, to the Te Wahi Pounamu World heritage area in the south.   Hugh started his working career in the energy and construction industry and then entered the tourism industry as the owner of a sea kayaking business in the Abel Tasman National Park.  He has been a director and manager of accommodation businesses and a member of two RTO boards and three conservation boards.   Hugh worked for New Zealand Trade & Enterprise in the regional economic development team for three years, and is now a tourism and economic development consultant.

Warren Gilbertson
Development West Coast, Regional Development Manager
Warren has been with DWC since October 2005.  He has extensive financial experience both in New Zealand and London, and has held positions in the public sector with the Treasury, New Zealand Post and Housing New Zealand Corporation.

Anake Goodall  
Manager Tribal Economy, Te Rūnanga on Ngāi Tahu
Anake has 20 years experience working with Ngāi Tahu on tribal and regional development issues. In that time he has had responsibilities across a range of natural resource, community and economic development, and Treaty settlement roles. Anake is currently working on a number of regionally focussed projects with the potential to establish sustainable enterprises within an integrated tribal framework.

Brian MacKenzie
Tai Poutini Polytechnic, Director of Planning & Development
Brian has spent more than 20 years working in education and public health, both in New Zealand and the U.K.  He came to the West Coast in 2002 to set up ecotourism programmes at the Polytechnic, and has presented and written about the potential impact of ecotourism development on the well-being of communities in which it occurs.  He is involved in the development of ecotourism within the Polytechnic and is responsible for strategic planning and a range of development activities.

Anna Thompson
Senior Lecturer, University of Otago
Anna Thompson (Carr) is a senior lecturer at the University of Otago where she is co-director of the Centre for Recreation Research.  She has Nga Puhi, Ngati Ruanui and Scottish/Irish ancestry.  She lived her first 18 years at Tongariro National Park (Whakapapa village), then worked at Egmont, Tongariro and Aoraki/Mt Cook National Parks.  She has been co-owner/operator of two adventure tourism companies (Southern Alps Guiding 1989-1993 and Wild Earth Adventures 1995 - 2002).  Anna is a director of Te Ana Whakairo (Ngai Tahu Maori Rock Art Centre Trust) and an Otago trust member of Te Araroa (The Long Pathway) Trust.  She has been involved in national and international ecotourism research projects since 1998.

Mike Slater
Department of Conservation, Conservator West Coast
Mike is the Conservator for the West Coast Conservancy of the Department of Conservation. Based in Hokitika, he has more than 25 years experience managing natural resources on public lands, including providing recreation and tourism opportunities in some of New Zealand’s iconic destinations such as Punakaiki and the Glaciers.