Te Moananui ā Toi | The Coastal Bay of Plenty is a significant landing place for our ancestors – both indigenous and European. And today settlers and voyagers are still arriving and still discovering; this may be self discovery of their deeper purpose and meaning or discovery of the life they want to truly live, within the safe embrace of our mountains and seas. Today’s voyagers are looking for more fulfilling, regenerative and meaningful experiences.

The original voyagers from Hawaiki travelled on the great Te Waka O Tamarereti and used Te Punga to navigate to Te Moananui ā Toi | the Coastal Bay of Plenty shores. We use Te Punga (The Anchor and Rope) of the great Te Waka O Tamarereti to demonstrate the key cruxis points of TBOP’s shared vision.

Just as the original voyager Kupe used Te Punga to provide direction through the seas, this plan provides direction for a co-created vision and co-created development plan with shared values and shared responsibility. The guiding principles Iwi and the people of Te Moananui ā Toi | the Coastal Bay of Plenty hold dear (see page 14) have formed the foundation of this plan.

Tāpoi Te Moananui ā Toi | Tourism Bay of Plenty (TBOP) is focused on long-term tourism sustainability with the aspirational goal of environmental regeneration. To achieve lasting tourism value, TBOP needs to ensure that the right balance is achieved between the impact of tourism on the environment, respecting our residents’ quality of life, honouring our Māori culture, and adding value to our economy.

Tourism can create a transformative destination experience for visitors and establish a higher quality of life for residents. By striking a true balance between economic, social, environmental and cultural objectives, tourism can generate benefits that go far beyond economic value alone. TBOP’s role as a Destination Management Organisation (DMO) is to lead, advocate and coordinate a cohesive, collaborative and balanced approach to managing a destination.