Kearsley (2002) has said that "if this film (Lord of the Rings) achieves half of what is expected, it will be massive for New Zealand - Critically examine the impact of the film of New Zealand tourism policy.

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Kearsley (2002) has said that “if this film (Lord of the Rings) achieves half of what is expected, it will be massive for New Zealand”.  Critically examine the impact of the film of New Zealand tourism policy.

The Lord of the Rings was written by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1954 and has become one of the most well known and read books in history.  Christmas 2001 saw the long awaited release of the first part of the film trilogy directed by New Zealander Peter Jackson.

The films took eighteen months to make and were filmed on location in New Zealand at a cost of more than £200 million (Newsround, 2001).  The book itself was a massive hit worldwide and the films look set to be just as successful.  The first in the trilogy, “The Fellowship of the Ring” has won four Oscars (Syfy Portal, 2002) and five Baftas (Gibbons, 2002).

This essay aims to examine whether “The Lord of the Rings” will be as much of a success for New Zealand’s tourism industry as it has been for it’s director, Peter Jackson and the impact that the film has already had on New Zealand’s tourism policies.

New Zealand is about the same size and shape as Great Britain but with a much smaller population.  A population of 3.8 million makes it one of the world's least crowded countries (Tourism New Zealand, 2002).  New Zealand’s landscape varies dramatically from “vast mountain chains, steaming volcanoes, sweeping coastlines, deeply indented fiords to lush rainforests. It has a temperate climate with relatively small seasonal variation makes it an ideal year-round holiday destination” (Tourism New Zealand, 2002).  It is easy to see why New Zealand was chosen as the location for filming Lord of the Rings, its diverse landscape makes it the ideal location for everywhere in Middle Earth, from The Shire to Mordor.  

A portfolio briefing by the minister of tourism in 1999, states “tourism accounts for $9.1 billion annually (10.3% of GDP) including $4.3 billion in foreign exchange earnings. The sector sustained 118,000 jobs and generated $1.5 billion a year in taxes including $478 million in GST from overseas visitors (i.e. export revenue).  Tourism is a growth sector and a major driver of economic opportunity for regional areas, Maori and small business and plays a major role in enhancing international awareness and understanding of New Zealand” (New Zealand Office of Tourism and Sport, 1999).  This shows how important tourism is to New Zealand and a boost in tourist numbers will massively benefit the whole country.

There appear to be six main tourism departments or agencies responsible for tourism in New Zealand. The New Zealand Office of Tourism and Sport, “The office of Tourism and Sport (OTSp) is an independent office established alongside the Department of Internal Affairs. Its role is to support the cause of tourism and sport within government in order to maximize the benefits and opportunities that can be obtained” (, 2002).  Its primary roles in relation to tourism are “to provide policy advice on tourism and events related issues; promote understanding of tourism issues within Government; act as an agent for the Minister of Tourism in negotiating the annual purchase agreement with the NZTB and undertake monitoring functions set out in that agreement; identify and provide for the information needs of the tourism sector, foster a ‘NZ Inc’ approach by Government to tourism and facilitate greater co-operation between tourism, sports and events related agencies, develop and maintain close communications with the tourism industry; administer the various relevant Acts for which the office is responsible” (New Zealand Office of Tourism and Sport, 1999).

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The New Zealand Tourism Board (NZTB) “is a Crown Entity established by the New Zealand Tourism Board Act 1991. It has the objective of “…ensuring that New Zealand is so marketed as a visitor destination as to maximize long term benefits to New Zealand” (New Zealand Office of Tourism and Sport, 1999).

The New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute (MACI) “was established by the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute Act 1963 and is the leaseholder of the Whakarewarewa reserve and part of the Arikikapakapa reserve” (New Zealand Office of Tourism and Sport, 1999).

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This answer contains lots of relevant policy detail, and shows the impacts that the Lord of the Rings film is having on tourism in NZ. It is well structured and easy to read. References are relevant and well-used. It could perhaps be criticised for taking a rather uncritical view of the information presented - there is not much critical discussion. Different view points are not examined. At times the answer focuses on visitor numbers rather than impacts on policy.