People from the local community around Te Puia, New Zealand’s Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, have been guiding visitors around Rotorua’s thermal wonderland for 140 years. Some of the attraction’s 50 or so staff are the fourth or fifth generation to have worked in the local tourism industry.
I’m a real advocate for on the job training. Equipping staff with a nationally recognised qualification through ServiceIQ is about ensuring they are recognised for their skills and knowledge.
We can host up to 20 busloads of tourists each day during summer, with 15 guides working all day. Around 500,000 to 600,000 people now visit Te Puia each year, so my job as Reservations Manager is a busy one.
ServiceIQ’s National Certificates in Tourism Core Skills and Attraction Guiding are excellent qualifications for our staff.
Guiding has changed because you have to be a lot more knowledgeable. Because of the Internet, you really have to know what you’re talking about. Customers are a lot more knowledgeable nowadays.
Working with ServiceIQ helps Te Puia keep its training up to date and ensure it meets increasing customer demands. As one of New Zealand’s oldest and most successful Māori tourism businesses, keeping up with the industry is something we take seriously. But there is still a place for tradition.
We still go on the same philosophy as the old guides. You read the paper and you watch the news so you know what’s happening around the world. With somebody from Australia or from the other side of the world, as soon as you mention something in their country, you see them just light up.
For more information, please contact ServiceIQ on 0800 863 693 or email intel@ServiceIQ.org.nz