NEWS
My news, and my thoughts on “the news”, all on one page. Click on the heading or photo to see each full article. Or you can find my weekly podcast “Checking In” by clicking here.
Checking In weekly with a new Sustainable Tourism podcast
This week, I'm launching a new podcast. Checking In will be published each Tuesday, and will be a short podcast only a few minutes long, where I share my thoughts on the issues affecting tourism globally through the lens of sustainable tourism. You can expect me to be...
Appointed as Honorary Professor, University of Otago
I was delighted to receive confirmation this week of my appointment as an Honorary Professor at the University of Otago. After 31 years' association with the university, it is an honour to retain strong links with Otago. Even though I have taken up my new role with...
Otago farewells Distinguished Chair, Professor James Higham
The University of Otago has long been in my life - since 1992 when I was a PhD student in Geography, spanning just over decades until my departure from the Department of Tourism this year, to take up my new role at Griffith University in Brisbane. I will retain strong...
A new chapter in my academic career
After 30 years at the University of Otago, I'm moving on. My departure is bittersweet. On the one hand, Otago holds a very special place in my academic heart. Dunedin is my home town. The University of Otago is my home university. I earned my PhD there, and then for...
2023 Otago Tourism Policy School brings industry together
Earlier this week, tourism industry leaders, academics, researchers and policymakers came together in Queenstown for our fifth Otago Tourism Policy School. This year, we focussed on whether New Zealand's tourism industry is "fit for purpose" in the aftermath of the...
Cycling twice the length of the South Island for penguins
Some may think I'm mad, but I'm genuinely very excited about this brief break from my desk. For the next fortnight, I'm on my bike, alongside a very good friend, cycling the length of the South Island. We're on the Sound to Sound trail - from Queen Charlotte Sound to...
Bringing respected academics together on crucial issues
Last month, after many weeks of hard work, Informed Leaders launched. This is a group of 11 leading scientists who are urging decision makers not to proceed with the proposed new airport at Tarras, Central Otago. If you've not been to Tarras, you should. It's in the...