Who we are

Adapting Aotearoa is for every tourism operator and service in New Zealand:

• Tourism experiences – adventure, tours, transport, scenic flights, ferries

• Hospitality & accommodation – bars, cafés, restaurants, hotels, lodges

• Attractions & culture – galleries, museums, heritage, cultural sites

• Any person or operation that has an interest in providing quality accessible and inclusive experiences

No matter the size or setting of your business, inclusivity is possible. Even without full physical access, you can deliver meaningful inclusion through information, service, and transparency.

By joining Adapting Aotearoa, together as an industry we create:

• Legitimacy – ending decades of confusion around the word “accessible”

• Structure – replacing a broken system with consistency

• Transformational change – shifting focus to information and inclusion

• Future-readiness – preparing for a rapidly growing market

A meaningful destination – a New Zealand we can all be proud to share with the world

Adapting Aotearoa is a framework where every operator benefits equally — regardless of scale, service, or infrastructure.

This is more than an initiative; it’s a movement. A revolution where:

• Access Guides replace vague labels

• Training Modules build knowledge and capability

• Industry-Specific Templates deliver consistent, practical standards

• Expert Partnerships ensure advice comes from lived experience

Together, these tools build traveller trust, empower operators, and position Aotearoa as the world’s most inclusive adventure destination — with the backing of Tourism New Zealand and Regional Tourism partners.

This is not about ticking compliance boxes. It’s about leading with transparency, trust, and inclusivity.

By joining, you:

• Give travellers the confidence of choice

• Create meaningful, inclusive experiences

• Lift the quality and consistency of tourism across Aotearoa

Strengthen New Zealand’s global reputation as a place where everyone belongs

Membership brings tangible benefits:

• Training modules that grow your expertise

• Access Guide support with sector-specific templates

• Annual appraisal of your Access Guide and adaptive journey

• Guidance for future infrastructure improvements

• Best practice frameworks for consistency and quality

• Marketing advantage, with Access Guides as the bridge to the Access Market

• Integration with Tourism New Zealand and regional partners

• Advisory support from the Makingtrax Foundation

This is the future of tourism in Aotearoa — consistent, inclusive, and world-leading.

At the heart of Adapting Aotearoa lies the Access Guide — the most powerful tool to attract more visitors, build trust, and prove your commitment to inclusion.

Generic labels like “accessible” are no longer enough. Travellers demand transparency: clear, practical details that remove uncertainty. The Access Guide delivers this.

It’s more than a webpage. It’s a business advantage. By sharing accurate, visual, and factual information, you empower visitors to make their own choices.

An Access Guide doesn’t judge whether your business is accessible — it gives travellers the knowledge to decide for themselves. When every operator follows the same framework, we achieve what New Zealand has never had before: consistency. And consistency builds trust.

Every tourism business is unique. That’s why Adapting Aotearoa provides tailored templates, making Access Guides simple and relevant for your sector.

Templates are available for:

• Adventure & Experiences – tours, activities, attractions

• Hospitality – cafés, restaurants, bars

• Accommodation – hotels, motels, lodges, holiday parks

• Museums, Galleries & Cultural Sites – where access and cultural connection meet

Each template guides you step by step, showing what information to include and how to present it. The result: a consistent national standard, shaped to fit your business.

Access is about more than information. True transformation comes from understanding the access market and the value it represents.

Our training modules:

• Build knowledge of inclusive tourism and customer realities

• Provide insights into the access market — a powerful and often overlooked audience

• Show how small changes create meaningful visitor value

• Equip you to deliver inclusive, memorable experiences

Shaped by lived experience and industry expertise, these modules go beyond theory. They prepare operators to lift not just their own standards, but the quality of tourism across Aotearoa

Adapting Aotearoa isn’t just about what happens inside your doors. It’s about creating a collective national framework.

When you create an Access Guide through Adapting Aotearoa, it’s not only on your website it’s shared across:

• Adapting Aotearoa Register – a central platform of inclusive operators.

• Makingtrax Foundation Platform – global reach through adaptive travel networks.

• Regional Tourism Organisations – integrating your guide into local visitor promotion.

• Tourism New Zealand – backing the framework at a national level and showcasing New Zealand internationally as a destination that values inclusivity.

This interconnected approach ensures your efforts are amplified. Together, we create a trusted and transparent framework that benefits travellers, operators, and the industry as a whole — and reflects the inclusive society we aspire to be.

Adventure tourism is a cornerstone of Aotearoa’s identity. In partnership with the Makingtrax Foundation, we provide specialist advisory services and endorsement specifically for adventure operators, covering:

• Visitor experience

• Infrastructure and environment

• Equipment and adaptations

• Staff training and customer service

This ensures adventure experiences are developed safely, inclusively, and with integrity.

The access tourist market represents 25% of global tourism is larger than China & Europe combined and is growing three times faster than any other tourist market

• 1.8 billion People, or 15% of the global population, live with disability

• The baby boomer generation who don’t identify as disabled will soon control 50% of the tourism spend

• People with access requirements travel with companions, resulting in an economic multiplier effect of 2.5

• 50% of people with access requirements would travel more if facilities, services, and experiences were perceived to be accessible and inclusive.

This is not just about compliance. It’s about opportunity — opening doors to a growing market, strengthening your business, and ensuring that every visitor can experience the magic of Aotearoa.