Letters for Monday November 1, 2021

Dear Editor,

Some critics of tourism make sweeping statements that we should have concentrated our economy more into Agriculture and Fisheries without being specific as to what areas these should be and who we should sell these products to.

Unfortunately, there are serious problems that need to be overcome before Agriculture and Fishing can become commercially viable in a big way and there is a good chance that these problems cannot be overcome without big subsidies.

Regarding Agriculture we have limited areas of land available, our labour rates are high by Pacific standards and most importantly the costs of getting our goods to the market are very high … when we compare these costs to those of our competitor nations like Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, they easily beat us and even if we get on to a winning product then they will copy this and undercut our growers. Our papaya are as good as any grown anywhere in the world but a recent study put them at having to sell in NZ at $9 each – for sure a premium product but how many people will pay $9 for a papaya?

Our fish are mostly seasonal and the fish are just passing through our waters and the numbers of fish available in the Southern Group would make commercial fishing marginally viable, also commercial fishing is hard work and has been tried previously without any real success – there is at least one fish processing plant lying idle as proof of this.

So it is all very well to say that we should have a more diversified economy in Agriculture or Fishing but specifically what should this be and who is going to buy what we produce and catch...

Tourism has worked for us up to now. Most tourists enjoy their holidays on Rarotonga and the outer islands. Cook Islanders are naturally hospitable and there is a wide range of accommodation and places to eat and drink. The island is safe but petty crime is an issue which can fortunately be easily bought under control.

With the current downturn caused by the coronavirus we would have been similarly affected regardless of what we had diversified into.

There are also some unfounded comments that the majority of accommodation types available are owned by foreigners, this might be the case if you regard the likes of Tata Crocombe and Liana Scott as being foreigners and you don't take into account all the recent accommodation units built by locals on their land to cater for the rapidly growing demand for ‘Book a Bach’ type of units.

Another important factor to take into consideration is that all these hotels and motels are built on leased land and these leases will expire in 60 years so the choice is with the landowners as to how long they will stay under foreign ownership.

Accommodation is only one part of the total tourism package, there are the restaurants, bars, takeaways, food court type markets, all the retail sectors, rental cars and bikes, taxis, bus services, Saturday markets, etc., all mostly owned and operated by locals.
So fortunately the benefits of tourism are shared across the whole population and if there is one main benefit from tourism this is it. When you compare this to other business types like black pearl farming only the farmers themselves benefit and the tax revenue coming from this is virtually nil.

Although commercial operations in Agriculture and Fishing might be difficult, there is a well proven tourist market for all the locally grown fruit and veges and all the fish that can be caught from the sea by local fishermen. This food is fresh and affordable and there are no middlemen or high transport costs. It is not uncommon to see vegetable sellers at the Saturday morning market packing up by 10.30am during the tourist season as they have completely sold out.

Don Carlaw