Background 背景
The unit arose from the connections the University of Waikato Management School initially created with a number of doctoral students who enrolled on tourism research projects in 1998. At that time the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management was wishing to establish a series of international linkages – partially because travel times from Auckland International Airport to Hamilton were being significantly reduced due to new motorway construction. Today it simply takes just over the hour to travel between the two locations – less than half the travel time required in 1998. This was one of three initiatives undertaken by the then Department of Tourism and Hospitality, the others being links in India and the EC (then including the UK).
The Chinese links proved to be the most successful and hence the Unit was formed in late 2011 to perpetuate links with a mix of visiting scholars and past doctoral students. The Unit had a period of significant success for much of the period 2013 to 2019, including enabling New Zealand students travelling to China financed through the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Initiative.
The year 2019 was particularly momentous as we formed a MOU with the College of Tourism at Beijing Union University and the future seemed to be bright. At that time, we hosted President Li, Dean Yan, International Director Pangming and Associate Professor Zhang Xiaoyu from Beijing Union University who also visited Raglan, the site of our then initiative as a study area as part of the UN Tourism agency’s prgogram in sustainable tourism. Unfortunately, many of our plans were brought to naught by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The financial consequences of the pandemic were particularly serious for New Zealand universities, the majority of whom including Waikato experienced significant restructuring leading to a loss of some staff. One rationale for the downgrading of our tourism program was uncertainty over the future of tourism as an employer as the industry almost totally collapsed in New Zealand in 2020, and recovery was slow as the country effectively closed its borders from March 2020 to August 2022.
The pandemic also meant a loss of approximately 20% of the university’s revenue and it was only in late 2024 that we again moved to surpluses. The pandemic also effectively meant that travel between New Zealand and China was halted, and it was not until 2023 that Professor Ryan was able to again visit China and some, but not all, of the partner universities.
That experience has led to new initiatives that reinforce a commitment to China with, for example, a shared campus at Hangzhou City University, and the establishment of joint courses with the University of Hanoi. Despite having other MOU arrangements (including one with the tourism program at Sun Yat-sen University), the nexus of action has passed to Beijing Union University. While the numbers of Chinese visitors to New Zealand have begun to recover – they remain at about half the number of those arriving in 2019. Indeed, in 2024 the number of New Zealand passport holders visiting China was approximately the same number of Chinese coming to New Zealand – that is about 250,000. Much of the research agenda carried out by the Research Unit reflects this. Initially significant research was into the behaviors of Chinese tourists in New Zealand, and the Unit was active in undertaking research on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism at the time of the establishment of Approved Destination Status negotiations and the changes induced by the 2013 Chinese travel legislation. Today – most research is about Chinese tourist behaviors in China and about the development of sites in China.
Despite these issues, the Unit continues to have an influence. Prior to Premier Li’s recent visit to New Zealand Professor Ryan was interviewed by Tsinghua Press Agency and he proposed a visa free arrangement between China and New Zealand. This was duly reported by Tsinghua and in June 2024 Premier Li and Prime Minster Luxon introduced such an arrangement for New Zealanders visiting China for tourism purposes for 15 days trips. Other interviews have been done for Chinese English language television channels. Past research was also undertaken with the Emperor Shi Chi Huang Mausoleum Museum (Terracotta Warriors Museum) and Professor Ryan was a keynote speaker at the Te Papa National Museum of New Zealand for the Warrior Exhibition just prior to Covid. Further endorsement has come from work with colleagues at Sun Yat-sen University through the UN Tourism agency. One outcome of the Raglan initiative was that one of our past doctoral students, Professor Mary Anne Tumanan initiated a similar Observatory for the Batanes Islands in the Philippines for which she works with staff at Waikato and with the Sun Yat-sen program in China.
A number of former doctoral students have gone on to hold lecturing and professorial positions in China. One is Associate Professor Ping Li, Deputy Dean at the School of Tourism Management at Hainan University. Another is Associate Professor Zhang Xaioyu who is a member of the Unit and Associate Editor of Tourism Critiques.
研究院的起源可追溯至 1998 年。当时，新西兰怀卡托大学敏锐地捕捉到了全球化背景下教育与研究合作的机遇，与来怀卡托大学学习的硕博研究生建立了紧密联系。这一战略行动的背后，是怀卡托大学旅游与酒店管理系对加强国际联系的深切期望，而奥克兰国际机场至汉密尔顿新高速公路的建成通车，显著缩减了两地间的旅行时间，从原来的数小时缩短至一个多小时，为加强区域间交流合作提供了极大的便利，成为推动这一举措的重要外力之一。同时，学院还积极向印度和欧盟（当时涵盖英国）伸出橄榄枝，形成了多元化的国际合作布局。
在上述国际联系中，新西兰怀卡托大学与中国的互动尤为突出，成效斐然。这一深厚联系的建立，不仅吸引了众多访问学者和往届博士生的积极参与，更为后续深化合作奠定了坚实基础。因此，在2011至2012年间，双方正式提出了建立中国-新西兰旅游研究院的构想，并迅速将其付诸实践。自2013年起，研究院在短短数年间取得了令人瞩目的成就，包括通过新西兰总理倡议资助的双向学生交流项目，进一步促进了中新两国在教育旅游领域的深入合作。
2019 年，研究院的发展迎来了重要里程碑，与北京联合大学签署了谅解备忘录，标志着双方合作进入了一个全新阶段。然而，突如其来的新冠肺炎疫情给全球带来了前所未有的挑战，研究院的多个精心规划项目也不得不因疫情而暂停。疫情不仅导致了怀卡托大学面临严重的财务困境和人员流失，特别是学术旅游部门遭受重创，员工数量大幅减少，还严重阻碍了中新之间的旅游与教育交流，使得原定的合作计划遭遇重大挫折。
在此背景下，新西兰怀卡托大学管理学院不得不重新审视和调整其战略方向。随着疫情影响的持续，以及国际旅游业的缓慢复苏，管理学院将重心逐渐转向中国市场，特别是与杭州的浙大城市学院共建校区，以及与河内大学的联合课程合作，体现了学院在逆境中求变、求进的决心。
当前，研究院已站在一个关键的转折点上。鉴于中新旅游交流的现状及未
来趋势，研究院的行动重心必须适时调整，从怀卡托大学向北京联合大学转移，以更好地适应中国市场的发展需求。同时，研究院的研究重点也已从早期关注中国游客在新西兰的行为，转向了中国游客在中国的行为及中国本土旅游景点的发展，这一转变反映了研究院对市场动态的敏锐洞察和灵活应变。
面对未来，研究院正积极探索多种发展路径，包括将知识产权转让给北京联合大学等可能性，以期在新时代背景下，继续深化中新两国在旅游研究与教育领域的合作，共同推动旅游业的繁荣发展。通过一系列成功的国际合作案例和广泛的学术影响力，研究院不仅证明了自身的价值与潜力，也为未来合作铺设了更加坚实的基础。
Objectives
Objective 1
To aid closer contacts between New Zealand and Chinese researchers and industry by:
- co-operating in joint research projects
- Supporting post graduate students in both China and New Zealand to undertake research and further their careers
- Supporting exchange programs of staff and students
Objective 2
To aid industry by disseminating research findings and making these publicly available through web pages where possible subject to issues of commercial confidentiality.
Objective 3
To undertake research that meets the needs of the tourism industries of both countries.
Objective 4
To work with industry and other stakeholders such as the New Zealand-China Friendship Association to further the interests of the members of the Research Centre in research and association in ways that benefit both China and New Zealand and the development of tourism in a sustainable and ethical manner.
目标一：促进新西兰与中国研究人员及业界之间的紧密联系
- 合作开展联合研究项目
- 支持中新两国的研究生进行研究和职业发展
- 支持教职员工和学生的交流项目
目标二：通过公开研究成果助力行业发展
- 在遵守商业秘密的前提下，通过网页等渠道公开研究成果，使其可供公众查阅。
目标三：开展满足两国旅游业需求的研究
- 直接针对中新两国的旅游业需求进行深入研究。
目标四：与行业及其他利益相关方合作，共同推动研究中心成员的利益及合作
- 与业界以及新西兰-中国友谊协会等利益相关方合作，以符合中新两国利益及可持续发展和道德准则的方式，进一步推动研究中心成员在研究和合作方面的利益，同时促进旅游业的发展。
- 协助参与新西兰和中国的联合旅游研究项目；为研究生和博士生在中国和新西兰的研究项目和他们未来的职业规划提供支持；为教师和学生在两国间的交流访问活动提供支持；
- 和旅游业分享研究成果；在保守商业机密的前提下，网上公开发表研究成果；
- 根据两国旅游业需求开展相关项目研究；
- 和旅游业及其他利益相关者合作，如新西兰中国友好协会，以期促进中国和新西兰旅游的可持续性发展和伦理的建设。