1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,640 Speaker 1: Heather duper Clay, How good is this idea of bringing 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:05,440 Speaker 1: Michelin to New Zealand in the hope that some of 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:08,240 Speaker 1: our restaurants will get some stars awarded. Now, this is 4 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: not free. We have to pay for it, and we 5 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: have to pay actually quite a lot of money for it. 6 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: It's costing Tourism New Zealand nearly six and a half 7 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: million dollars and that's just for the first three years. 8 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: And I don't know how much you have to pay 9 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: after that. But take a look what the Ossies did. 10 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: I mean, the Assie's looked at this last year. It 11 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: was going to cost them four million dollars for the 12 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: first year, five million dollars for the second year, seven 13 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: and a half million dollars for the next year, and 14 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: then basically for a few years thereafter, something like another 15 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: three years. It was going to cost them another seven 16 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: and a half million dollars by my calculations, in the 17 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: space of what maybe five or six years, they were 18 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,200 Speaker 1: going to have to fork out to Michelin about forty 19 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: million dollars. Ozzie's looked at it, said nah, but we've 20 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: said yes, and I reckon we're doing the right thing 21 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: doing that because this has grown up first world tourism. 22 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 1: I mean, I think about the trip that I just 23 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: did last weekend to Melbourne with a couple of girlfriends. 24 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: Food was a huge part of it. The one of 25 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: us who was doing the bookings found the good places 26 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: to eat, the places that everybody in Melbourne is talking about, 27 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: got us into those places lunch and dinner. And this 28 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: is what tourists do. They come to a city for 29 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,960 Speaker 1: an event and they tag on great food, find all 30 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: the great restaurants and go try them out. And here 31 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: in New Zealand, we are really good at food. I 32 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 1: mean the entire time that I was in Melbourne, I 33 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: kept thinking that for all the raving that people do 34 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: about Milburnian eateries, actually in New Zealand you can get 35 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: just as good, if not, in my opinion, a whole 36 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: lot better. And actually paying six million dollars for this 37 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: is not really all that much. I mean, when you 38 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: think about what gets spent on tourism campaigns that you 39 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: can never actually be sure really work. Back in April, 40 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: the government pumped twice as much as this, thirteen and 41 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: a half million dollars into advertising New Zealand. To Ossie's 42 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: what do you get for that? I mean, you get 43 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: maybe a guess that some ossie tourists came here as 44 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: a result for this money that we're giving to Michelin. 45 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: You get actual stars potentially, you get international prestige. You 46 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: get the sense for tourists that they have landed in 47 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: a first world city, eating international grade food. For more 48 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news Talks 49 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: at b from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 50 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.