Accessible Tourism · Aotearoa New Zealand
Making inclusion the standard, not the exception.
Practical training, Access Guides, and advisory for tourism operators who want to do this properly.
Who we are
New Zealand's accessible and inclusive tourism industry framework.
Adapting Aotearoa is a programme of MakingTrax Foundation (registered charity CC58845) — New Zealand's original and leading accessible and inclusive tourism industry advisor. We give tourism operators a practical, structured path to becoming genuinely accessible and inclusive: grounded in lived experience, real-world practice, and independent research.
Jezza Williams — Founder
A wheelchair user, adaptive adventure specialist and a leading voice in accessible and inclusive tourism in New Zealand.
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01
Training modules
Practical, experience-led education grounded in how tourism actually operates — covering accessibility principles, inclusive service, and what good practice looks like across your team.
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02
Access Guide
Sector templates, step-by-step guidance and hands-on support to build a clear, honest, experience-focused webpage — so visitors with access requirements can plan with confidence and choose your experience.
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03
Appraisal & endorsement
Formal review and Adapting Aotearoa endorsement for operators who meet the standard — signalling to visitors and the industry that inclusion is genuinely embedded in what you do. Adventure operators may also be selected directly by MakingTrax for its higher MakingTrax endorsement.
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Advisory support throughout
Specialist guidance backed by lived experience — from your first conversation through to your annual appraisal.
Endorsed operators are listed on Access.ive, New Zealand's Inclusive Tourism Directory — where people with access requirements, including people with disabilities, find genuinely accessible experiences across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Visit Access.iveWhat it is
A nationwide framework reshaping how accessibility is understood and delivered across Aotearoa New Zealand.
At its heart are Access Guides — a valuable, experience-focused webpage providing up-to-date, clear and reliable information across the whole visitor journey, enabling customers to plan, prepare, or confidently choose to go elsewhere.
Help your visitors plan with confidence, and help your team prepare to deliver a safe, dignified, inclusive experience.
The market
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25%
of global tourism — growing three times faster than any other segment
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AUD $29B
spent by accessible travellers in Australia in 2024 — NZ's largest inbound market
Australian Tourism Research Institute, 2024
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70.5M
trips taken by accessible travellers in Australia in 2024 — 22% of all travel
Australian Tourism Research Institute, 2024
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50%
would travel more if destinations clearly communicated accessible experiences
Zaluka et al., 2022
Full data and global research: The research →
The entire visitor journey
Accessibility doesn't begin and end at one experience. A visitor's journey spans planning, arrival, accommodation, activities, food, transport, and departure. Adapting Aotearoa supports operators across the full spectrum — so that inclusion is consistent from first click to final farewell.
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Adventure
Activities and guided experiences — setting clear parameters so every visitor can make an informed, confident choice.
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Accommodation
Hotels, lodges, holiday parks, and B&Bs — clear access information helps guests choose and arrive with confidence.
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Hospitality
Cafés, restaurants, and bars — inclusive service starts with knowing your space and communicating it honestly.
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Transport
Shuttles, transfers, and rental operators — accessibility on the move is a critical and often overlooked link in the chain.
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Cultural
Māori cultural experiences and heritage sites — inclusion here carries additional significance and deserves care and authenticity.
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Scenic & nature
Walks, viewpoints, and natural attractions — honest access information opens these experiences to a far wider audience.
Every sector. Every touchpoint. One consistent standard of inclusion across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Adventure tourism
A cornerstone of Aotearoa
Inclusion delivered with integrity, not guesswork.
Adventure tourism is central to New Zealand's identity. Quality and safety sit at the heart of that — for every visitor, and every operator. This is not an all-or-nothing approach. What matters is being clear about what is possible, and where the boundaries sit.
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Set logical parameters
Understand your offering in real terms — removing assumption from decision-making for both staff and visitors.
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Identify opportunities
Adaptive adventure sits alongside what you already do — as an extension of good practice, not a separate offering.
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Clear Access Guides
Help visitors plan with confidence — and give your team the clarity to deliver safe, inclusive experiences.
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Consistent standards
Rules and regulations understood. Inclusion delivered with integrity — a more consistent standard of service and safety.
Adaptive adventure doesn't sit apart from what you already do. It sits alongside it, as an extension of good practice.
How it works
Five steps to becoming a genuinely inclusive operator.
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01
Sign up
Join Adapting Aotearoa, connect with our team, and start with a conversation about your business and where you are.
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02
Training
Practical, experience-led modules that build your whole team's knowledge, confidence and capability.
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03
Access Guide
With advisory support, publish clear, honest access information covering the whole visitor journey.
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04
Endorsement
An appraisal with an inclusive advisor. Businesses that meet the standard become Adapting Aotearoa Endorsed and are listed on Access.ive.
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05
Growth
An annual appraisal, ongoing advisory and Regional Tourism and Tourism NZ pathways keep you improving.
Endorsement
Two endorsements. One clear signal to visitors.
Endorsement shows visitors, destinations and the industry that inclusion is genuinely embedded in what you do — and tells travellers exactly what to expect.
For any tourism business
Adapting Aotearoa Endorsed
Complete the training, publish your Access Guide, and pass an appraisal with an inclusive advisor. An annual appraisal keeps your endorsement current and your business improving.
For adventure operators
MakingTrax Endorsed
A higher endorsement, selected directly by MakingTrax advisory, for adventure operators who have created an experience through adaptation or specialised service, where safety, integrity and quality must be assured. It doesn't require Adapting Aotearoa endorsement first, and an operator can hold both.
Endorsed businesses are listed on Access.ive, New Zealand's Inclusive Tourism Directory — showing exactly which endorsement each one holds, with clear, factual details that put travellers in charge.
Visit Access.iveQuestions
Accessible and inclusive tourism: common questions.
How can a tourism business in New Zealand become more accessible and inclusive?
Start by understanding what you already offer in real terms, then communicate it honestly. Adapting Aotearoa gives New Zealand tourism businesses a structured, five-step path: sign up, train your whole team, publish an Access Guide, complete an appraisal for Adapting Aotearoa endorsement, and keep improving through an annual appraisal.
It isn't all-or-nothing. Being clear about what is possible, and where the boundaries sit, is what lets people with access requirements, including people with disabilities, plan with confidence.
What is an Access Guide, and what should it include?
An Access Guide is a page on your own website that gives visitors clear, honest, experience-focused access information across the whole visitor journey: getting there, parking and arrival, entrances, layout, surfaces and gradients, facilities, what the experience involves, and how your team can help.
Good Access Guides use plain wording and photos so visitors can decide for themselves, or confidently choose another option. An Access Guide is about your visitor experience, not your website's accessibility. Adapting Aotearoa provides sector templates, step-by-step guidance and advisory review.
How can adventure tourism operators include people with disabilities safely?
Set clear parameters: what the activity physically involves, what can be adapted, what equipment is available, and where the safety boundaries sit. Adaptive adventure sits alongside what you already do, as an extension of good practice rather than a separate offering.
Adapting Aotearoa training covers adaptive adventure principles, adaptive equipment and assisting customers. Operators who create experiences through adaptation or specialised service can be selected by MakingTrax advisory for the higher MakingTrax endorsement.
How can accommodation and hospitality businesses improve accessibility?
Describe your spaces accurately — rooms, bathrooms, entrances, parking, dining and shared areas — so guests can choose with confidence before they book. Pair that with team training in inclusive service, communication and assisting customers without assumption.
Adapting Aotearoa includes dedicated Accommodation and Hospitality Access Guide modules, alongside its inclusive tourism training for the whole team.
What is the difference between Adapting Aotearoa endorsement and MakingTrax endorsement?
Adapting Aotearoa Endorsed is open to any tourism business that completes the training, publishes an Access Guide and passes its annual appraisal. MakingTrax Endorsed is a higher endorsement for adventure operators only, selected directly by MakingTrax advisory. It doesn't require Adapting Aotearoa endorsement first, and an operator can hold both.
Where can travellers find accessible tourism experiences in New Zealand?
Access.ive (accessive.nz) is New Zealand's Inclusive Tourism Directory. Every experience listed is endorsed, with clear, factual details that put travellers in charge. Access.ive is published by Adapting Aotearoa, a programme of MakingTrax Foundation.
Ready to start the conversation?
If you're a tourism operator wanting to lead on accessibility — or a destination wondering where to begin — we'd love to hear from you.