Scholarship helps manager gain insight on cultural offerings

28 September 2012

Scholarship helps manager gain insight into cultural offerings

A Paihia tourism manager is aiming to gain increased insight into her products thanks to an ATTTO scholarship.

Brita Marti, Sales Office Manager for Explore NZ in Paihia, has just been awarded an ATTTO scholarship to study the Tourism Aotearoa programme. The programme gives an insight into New Zealand tourism within a uniquely Māori context, and graduates achieve the National Certificate in Tourism Maori Level 3.

Brita has been with Explore NZ, and previously Dolphin Discoveries, for more than 10 years. She is office manager in Paihia, and coordinates the local sales team in conjunction with her Auckland based colleagues. She was nominated for the scholarship as a key part of her role is training new staff in the sale and promotion of the company’s tourism experiences.

As well as showcasing the incredible wildlife in the Bay of Islands, the Explore NZ cruises also offer tourists an overview of the rich history and culture of the area.

Brita said: “As most of our products include cultural elements, it will be really beneficial to gain some knowledge of Māori culture and heritage that I can pass onto the staff that I’m training.

“Having the knowledge to back up what you are selling gives you more confidence that you are giving tourists an authentic cultural experience, and meeting their demands. It’s important that I can pass this knowledge onto our new and seasonal staff so they can meet these expectations.”

The Māori cultural units contained in the training resources enable trainees to improve their language abilities, gain a greater understanding of Māori communication as well as go deeper into the Māori philosophies and values in both physical and spiritual terms.

Kathy Wolfe, ATTTO Chief Executive, said: “We’re pleased to offer Brita the opportunity to be one of the first trainees to undertake the Tourism Aotearoa programme. It is a great investment of her time and will enable her to offer a better cultural context to Explore NZ’s internal training.

“This programme is valuable as it enables all tourism operators and staff to gain a base knowledge of Māori customs and history and see how it relates to their businesses. It will give staff the confidence to know they are offering an authentic experience to customers looking for that extra dimension to their holiday.

"Tourism Aotearoa offers a uniquely New Zealand approach to staff development and service delivery. It helps staff understand the visitor desire to experience Māori concepts, practice and culture and matches essential industry skills to enhance the customer's overall experience."

For more information about the Tourism Aotearoa programme visit www.attto.org.nz

About ATTTO

ATTTO is the Industry Training Organisation for New Zealand’s aviation, tourism, travel and museums industries. Its role is to provide industry leadership on skill and training needs, set skills standards, and design and deliver world-class qualifications that meet industry needs.

ATTTO industry qualifications are designed to be completed on-the-job by people employed in our industries. Many can also be completed through training providers.

All ATTTO qualifications are nationally recognised and registered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.

At 31 October 2011, there were more than 2,800 New Zealanders from 230 workplaces training towards national qualifications with ATTTO.

ENDS

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