Tourism's role in peace and prosperity
So when Washington-based Auckland-educated Lelei Tuisamoa Lelaulu found out he'd been nominated, it's not surprising he thought it was a prank.
He is a Samoan development entrepreneur whose leadership has extended across the globe including the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the World Indigenous Games. He chairs the Earth Council Alliance and a council at George Washington University School of Business.
This year he told the Metropolitan Museum of Art to take its reimagined Rockefeller Wing arts collections on tour to the places they came from.
Lelaulu is nominated 'for his work in reshaping the narrative around tourism – not just for leisure, but as a vessel of peace'.
He's still trying to get his head around the nomination. 'It's a huge honour and I'm just a little bit stunned waiting for something to happen. It's a little bit overwhelming.'
Lelaulu was nominated by NGOs associated with the Anglican Church and the United Nations. 'It was a bit out of the blue in a sense 'cause I don't really go to Anglican churches or any churches generally, so I thought it was a prank initially, and then they called back and it was true, and they sent the recommendation and I saw it and away it went. We'll see what happens.'
But what does tourism have to do with peace?
'I think that tourism is the only real peace dividend,' he says. 'It's basically the industry of peace because if you think about it … this is the largest transfer of resources from the haves to the have nots in history – voluntarily. No one's forcing it.
'Then you think about the hundreds of millions of lives that have been lost because people tried to wrest resources from others over the centuries; it's just astounding but tourism has reversed all that,' Lelaulu said.
If it's handled properly tourism gets resources and money to communities instead of corporations 'and it has enormous possibilities for allowing communities to improve their education, their health, their welfare and their dignity – their ability to live lives of dignity. That's why I think the industry of peace is tourism,' he says.
Lelaulu explains to Lei'ataualesa Susana Lei'ataua in a special episode of The Detail that bilateral aid goes mostly to the treasuries of countries whereas tourism handled properly goes to families and the communities directly 'and it builds them up and gives them a whole new dignity of life'.
But how does tourism fit in when it comes to conflict zones?
'In terms of conflict we have to end the conflicts before tourism can apply. It is very much the industry of peace because once there's peace then people tend to stream across borders to see what their former adversaries are like and what they did and how they live, and this then builds up connections between former adversaries and this is what I hope for,' Lelaulu said.
Lelaulu is quick to point out the 'holus bolus' introduction of tourists is not the answer. The wine routes in France are a successful example of a planned approach to directing a huge percentage of tourists outside of an over-crowded Paris, benefiting the agricultural sector.
He says we could take a leaf out of that book.
'New Zealand is obviously one of the most beautiful countries on the planet but it also has one of the richest cultural ethnic heritages that should be looked at, and pulling people out of the major tourist destinations is the way to do it.'
Lelaulu highlights Māori tourism.
'It's incredibly innovative and very effective. If you look at what they're doing in the South Island, looking at Kaikōura and what the iwi are doing there that's enormous. It's one of the most successful tourism projects in New Zealand … and they're very, very generous with the local communities which is an important thing.'
Lelaulu was a guest speaker at the re-opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's US$70m revamped Michael C Rockefeller Wing in New York, and had a strong message for them.
'We should move these wonderful pieces of art around the world so that more and more people should see them … move it overseas to the major art capitals of the world and also to the places of origin like Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji. Let the people there see the beauty of what emerged from their artists a long, long time ago.'
Lelaulu suggested these collections would tour for six months at a time and door-take profits would be split with the destinations to upgrade and build 'museologically sound' facilities for the artefacts.
'In a sense as the collection goes around and as you return some of the artefacts now and then where applicable, the collection that comes back to the Metropolitan Museum is going to be richer and more valuable than the exhibit that left, so I called it a cultural diplomatic continuum.'
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 10, with the award ceremony taking place on December 10 in Oslo, Norway.
Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.
You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Auckland mayoral debate event stalls after candidates don't respond
The University of Auckland Debating Society is still hopeful mayor Wayne Brown (C) will respond to a debate invitation. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Opportunities for Auckland voters to see democracy in action in this year's mayoral election might be few and far between. Incumbent Auckland mayor Wayne Brown is seeking re-election against 11 other contenders . But few mayoral debates are being lined up before voting opens on 9 September. In what is already a battle to draw interest to local body elections , which notoriously struggle to attract a strong turnout , one mayoral candidate is concerned a lacklustre campaign will ensure the vote remains low. The University of Auckland Debating Society told RNZ it had hoped to hold a mayoral debate on Tuesday, 5 August. External events manager Robert Hoskins said it invited three candidates: Kerrin Leoni, Ted Johnston and current mayor Wayne Brown, but only Leoni responded. He said the team had spoken to someone from the mayor's office last month, who said they would pass their request to the mayor's campaign team. The society's lively candidate debate in 2022 , hosted by broadcaster Jack Tame, attracted hundreds of students. It also held a debate in 2019. "In both cases, we had all major candidates willing to attend, though we ran our 2022 debate quite early, before Wayne Brown was considered a major candidate, and as such, we did not invite him," Hoskins said. He was still hopeful Brown might agree to participate. "Students appreciate getting direct engagement with candidates. These events are well attended. We sometimes get upwards of 500 students attending, and many more watch the livestream. "Students do care about what's going on in Auckland and their local wards. Not having any engagement with them is a real shame." The Auckland Business Chamber, which held a mayoral debate in 2022, told RNZ it would not have one this year, but did not elaborate why. The Penrose Business Association said it planned to hold a mayoral debate, but it had not come together yet. Leoni said she received debate invitations from the Auckland University Debating Society and the Institute of Directors. "It's unacceptable that they [the Debating Society] have not been able to go ahead with their event, knowing that the main person I'm up against, or he's up against me, has not even responded to the invite. "I'm still waiting to hear back from the Institute of Directors if we're going to go ahead. But from what I've heard, Wayne Brown is saying no to debates." She was eager to debate Brown and called on him to front up. "Organisations organising debates and events want to have the sitting mayor there, and so he should be. "I actually think it's quite arrogant. He's basically saying to Aucklanders, I'm better than anyone else, so why should I turn up. That's not good enough. "He should be fronting up to debate anyone else standing for mayor. "It's concerning for democracy, and I'm disappointed in Wayne Brown." Mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni. Photo: Supplied/ Labour Party In the city's last local elections, just 405,149 votes were returned, 35.4 percent of enrolled voters. In 2019's election, the voter turnout was 35.3 percent. Leoni said debates were a way to bolster interest. "We have a responsibility as candidates to debate our policies in public so Aucklanders can hear our opinions and know what they're actually voting for." She said she had committed to a handful of meet the candidates events. Community Hub Future Whangaparāoa said Kerrin Leoni was the only mayoral candiate registered for its meet the candidates meeting on Sunday, 14 September. When contacted by RNZ, a spokesperson for Wayne Brown's campaign was non-committal about debates or panels. "Wayne has a very busy schedule as mayor across the city. He gets many requests from various groups across Auckland's many diverse communities and will be engaging with them as the election continues. "He will be strongly contesting this race against the 11 other candidates." RNZ asked all mayoral candidates who provided contact details if they wanted a debate. Rob Mcneil from the Animal Justice Party said he was "very interested to debate other mayoral candidates at any point". He said he had been invited to a debate in Warworth on 10 September, held by One Mahurangi Business Association. Johnston told RNZ he was also "quite willing to debate the other candidates". He said he had received four debate invitations. The Institute of Directors has been contacted for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Advertising unapproved medicines not legal, despite government claim
In a statement, Minister for Regulation David Seymour said the restriction on advertising new medicines at medical conferences "is being removed". Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Despite a government announcement suggesting it has lifted the ban on advertising unapproved medicines, it remains a criminal offence, warn legal experts. In a joint media release with Health Minister Simeon Brown, Minister for Regulation David Seymour welcomed "confirmation" of two major medical conferences in New Zealand next year, following the rule change to allow advertising of unapproved medicines at trade shows. The Ministry for Regulation had found the "overly cautious approach" was out of step with other recognised jurisdictions, and the government "acted fast to fix it", Seymour said. However, leading intellectual property lawyer Paul Johns - head of litigation for Pearce IP - cautioned the law had not yet changed. "If I were the organiser of these conferences and had seen those media releases, I would be making sure that my sponsors were aware that in fact the law has not changed and any medicines they want to advertise ought to be approved, because the consequences are criminal - there are fines and even imprisonment. "I don't think you would get that far, but they're there." Parliament was currently considering some amendments to the Medicines Act (to enable faster approval of drugs and widen powers for nurse prescribers) but there was nothing to do with advertising, he said. "It's still possible that the government could submit an amendment paper and put this advertising thing in there as well, but they haven't. So they appear to have a policy but they've done nothing about it in terms of legislation." The "great irony" was that under the Therapeutic Products Act - which was repealed by the current administration - the government could have simply introduced new regulations allowing such advertising, Johns noted. "But now they need to amend the Medicines Act." Others have pointed out that medical conferences were planned years in advance, so the new policy could not have been the deciding factor for next year's bookings. In a written response to RNZ's questions, Minister Seymour said the restriction on advertising new medicines at medical conferences "is being removed". "Ending New Zealand's prohibition on advertising medicines at medical conferences and trade shows has sent a message that New Zealand is open for business. That's exactly what medical conference organisers needed to hear, with two already confirmed for 2026." Medicines New Zealand chief executive Dr Graeme Jarvis said New Zealand had been missing out on conferences worth up to $90 million a year because it was impossible to run trade shows alongside them. "So you're actually losing out on not only the income you would get from running the conference and trade show here, but also the tourism spend as well." Clinicians had also been missing out. "Doctors here aren't getting exposed to all of the latest and greatest in terms of conferences, scientific exchange, the information and updates on all sorts of things." However, Auckland University associate professor of psychological medicine David Menkes said it was "misleading" to suggest doctors did not already have access to the latest information about new treatments. "But usually that information comes not from a company rep, it will come from an expert who's presenting as a colleague, rather than as an exhibitor or a sponsor of a conference." The academic psychiatrist said doctors liked to "believe they can't be swayed by corporate largesse" - but studies showed they were not immune. "That's why academic journals require peer review and disclosure of interests." Menkes is a long-time critic of New Zealand's permissive marketing regime : it is the only OECD country - apart from the United States - to allow direct-to-consumer advertising of medicines. Further loosening of the rules could compound the risk of over-prescribing, he said. "You don't want to be held up by red tape and bureaucracy, right? But you also want to have checks and balances in place. "I'm afraid this new policy doesn't have adequate checks and balances against overt promotional behaviour by vested interests." Seymour's office was unable to say when the government was planning to turn the policy into something Parliament could consider.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Government should match enthusiasm for AI with investment in teachers
[xh Teachers using AI to mark student work 'dangerous' - principals' group Auckland Secondary Principals Association and member of the AI Forum, Claire Amos. Photo: Supplied The Auckland Secondary Principals Association warns the government needs to match its enthusiasm for artificial intelligence with training and funding for teachers. It said suggestions teachers could use AI to mark most student work were "dangerous". Earlier this week, the government said AI marking was critical for its planned replacement of the NCEA and the Education Ministry told schools they "must have a policy" on acceptable use of generative AI such as ChatGPT. On Tuesday Education Minister Erica Stanford said the Qualifications Authority used AI for marking NCEA literacy and numeracy corequisite exams and would use it more widely by the time the Certificate of Education replaced NCEA level 2 in 2029. She said New Zealand was a world-leader and she expected teachers would use the technology to reduce their workloads as the replacement for NCEA was introduced. "If we didn't have AI, this is something that probably wouldn't be possible without a massive injection for NZQA. "But we do have AI, it is coming, and it is getting better and better every year, we are already world-leading in the way that we use it." The same day, the Education Ministry sent schools updated advice on AI . It said schools that offered NCEA must have a policy on the acceptable use of generative AI. "Schools with consent to assess listed standards are required to have an authenticity policy to support assessment practice. This policy must include the acceptable use of GenAI," it said. "The principle of authenticity means that students are required to demonstrate their own knowledge, understanding, and skills in NCEA assessment events. Any evidence submitted for assessment must be their own work." Auckland Secondary Principals Association and member of the AI Forum, Claire Amos, said it was confusing for educators that the ministry was urging caution over AI, but the minster said it would be crucial for replacing NCEA. Amos said the ministry's guidance was very high-level and fell well short of the centralised training, advice and resources that teachers needed. "There's no point having words on a page if we're not upskilling school leaders and we're not upskilling teachers to navigate their way through both the opportunities that AI offers and the great benefits that AI can offer but also understanding the risks," she said. Amos said other countries were much more advanced than New Zealand in terms of school use of AI. Estonia, for example, was investing in teacher training and in AI platforms specifically for schools so student privacy was protected, she said. Amos said AI should not replace classroom teachers when it came to marking student work. "There's huge risks if we start thinking AI is the answer to assessing all student work," she said. "We should be using the technologies and tools to support teachers to make good judgements, we could be using AI in the moderation process and addressing those concerns people have around internal assessment in schools but we are walking a dangerous line if we think we are going to mark all of our student work using AI. That is hugely disempowering for students, hugely disempowering for teachers as well." Amos said the rising use of AI could exacerbate the digital divide between rich and poor schools and between those that were advanced technology users and those that were not. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
