Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The Michelin Guide is a worthwhile investment

How good is this idea of bringing Michelin to New Zealand in the hope that some of our restaurants will get some stars awarded? 

Now, this is not free. We have to pay for it and we have to pay actually quite a lot of money for it.

It's costing Tourism New Zealand nearly six and a half million dollars, and that's just for the first three years. And I don't know how much you have to pay after that. 

But take a look at what the Aussies did when they looked at this  last year. It was going to cost them $4 million for the first year, $5 million for the second year, $7.5 million for the next year, and then basically for a few years thereafter, something like another three years, it was going to cost them another $7.5 million. 

By my calculations, in the space of five or six years, they were going to have to fork out to Michelin about $40 million. Aussies looked at it, said, nah, but we've said yes, and I reckon we are doing the right thing. 

This is grown-up, first world tourism. 

I think about the trip that I just did last weekend to Melbourne with a couple of girlfriends. Food was a huge part of it. The one of us who was doing the bookings found the good places to eat. They found the places that everybody in Melbourne is talking about, got us into those places, lunch and dinner. 

This is what tourists do. They come to a city for an event, then they tag on great food, find all the great restaurants and go try them out. 

And here in New Zealand, we are really good at food. 

The entire time that I was in Melbourne, I kept thinking that for all the raving that people do about Melbournian eateries, actually in New Zealand, you can get just as good, if not, in my opinion, a whole lot better. 

And actually, paying $6 million for this is not really all that much. 

When you think about what gets spent on tourism campaigns that you can never actually be sure really work. 

Back in April, the government pumped twice as much as this, $13 and a half million into advertising New Zealand to Aussies. What do you get for that? 

I mean, you get maybe a guess that some Aussie tourists came here as a result. 

For this money that we're giving to Michelin, you get actual stars potentially. You get international prestige. You get the sense for tourists that they have landed in a first world city eating international great food. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Heather duper Clay, How good is this idea of bringing
Michelin to New Zealand in the hope that some of
our restaurants will get some stars awarded. Now, this is
not free. We have to pay for it, and we
have to pay actually quite a lot of money for it.
It's costing Tourism New Zealand nearly six and a half
million dollars and that's just for the first three years.
And I don't know how much you have to pay
after that. But take a look what the Ossies did.
I mean, the Assie's looked at this last year. It

(00:22):
was going to cost them four million dollars for the
first year, five million dollars for the second year, seven
and a half million dollars for the next year, and
then basically for a few years thereafter, something like another
three years. It was going to cost them another seven
and a half million dollars by my calculations, in the
space of what maybe five or six years, they were
going to have to fork out to Michelin about forty

(00:43):
million dollars. Ozzie's looked at it, said nah, but we've
said yes, and I reckon we're doing the right thing
doing that because this has grown up first world tourism.
I mean, I think about the trip that I just
did last weekend to Melbourne with a couple of girlfriends.
Food was a huge part of it. The one of
us who was doing the bookings found the good places
to eat, the places that everybody in Melbourne is talking about,

(01:04):
got us into those places lunch and dinner. And this
is what tourists do. They come to a city for
an event and they tag on great food, find all
the great restaurants and go try them out. And here
in New Zealand, we are really good at food. I
mean the entire time that I was in Melbourne, I
kept thinking that for all the raving that people do
about Milburnian eateries, actually in New Zealand you can get

(01:26):
just as good, if not, in my opinion, a whole
lot better. And actually paying six million dollars for this
is not really all that much. I mean, when you
think about what gets spent on tourism campaigns that you
can never actually be sure really work. Back in April,
the government pumped twice as much as this, thirteen and
a half million dollars into advertising New Zealand. To Ossie's

(01:46):
what do you get for that? I mean, you get
maybe a guess that some ossie tourists came here as
a result for this money that we're giving to Michelin.
You get actual stars potentially, you get international prestige. You
get the sense for tourists that they have landed in
a first world city, eating international grade food. For more
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(02:06):
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