14 July 2008

Minister announces new Tourism Board Chair

Tourism Minister Damien O’Connor today announced the appointment of Greg Muir as Chairperson of the New Zealand Tourism Board.

Mr Muir is currently the Executive Chairman of Pumpkin Patch Ltd. Prior to this he was CEO of The Warehouse. He replaces Wally Stone who has held the position of Chair since April 2002.

The Minister said Mr Muir brings excellent leadership and international marketing skills to the position.

“Greg is a fantastic leader and has a good understanding of international marketing and has proven skills of operating in a competitive business environment. I am very pleased to welcome him as the new Tourism Board Chairperson,” said Mr O’Connor.

The New Zealand Tourism Board, or Tourism New Zealand as it is more commonly known, is responsible for ensuring New Zealand is marketed internationally as a visitor destination in order to maximise the long term benefits for New Zealand.

The Board Chairperson is charged with leading the Board to provide long term strategic guidance to Tourism New Zealand, ensure all statutory requirements are met and ensure interagency relationships are well managed.

“Greg comes into the role at a time that is challenging for the tourism industry. As international oil and food prices are on the rise, our ability to compete with other countries will depend on delivering a better product than our competitors and marketing that to the rest of the world. As a country we need to rise to the challenge and I am confident that Greg will be a strong leader who will establish a fresh, clear direction for the Board in doing that. I look forward to working closely with him.”

Mr O’Connor also acknowledged the outgoing Chair, Wally Stone for his contribution to the Board for the past six years.

“I would like to thank Wally for his contribution to the New Zealand Tourism Board. His extensive knowledge of the tourism industry has been invaluable and he has done a fantastic job as Chair. He steered the Board through a period of sustained growth in the tourism industry, where international visitor numbers increased by some 27 percent. I wish him luck in his future endeavours and sincerely thank him for all his hard work,” said Mr O’Connor.

ENDS

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