Shane Maddren: Russell–Orongo Bay Holiday Park Manager on removing all TVs from its accommodation

A Northland holiday park's scrapping its TVs to allow nature to take centre stage. 

Russell–Orongo Bay Holiday Park is one of the first holiday parks in New Zealand to go completely TV-free. 

It's encouraging guests to unplug from screens and reconnect with the natural world. 

Park Manager Shane Maddren told Mike Hosking they have plenty of activities to keep guests occupied. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now someone's going to be a little bit different this
year at Russell's wrong Abay Holiday Parks. So they're taking
out the tellies. They're encouraging visitors to get out, get
back to nature, and they'll become one of the first
holiday parks in the country actually to go completely TV
three TV three and now Shane Madden is the park
manager and he's with a Shane, very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Oh good morning, Mike. How are we you?

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Very well? Thank you? Have you done it or you're
about to do it now?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
It's all gone the moment we sort of had floated
the idea as soon as the owners said they thought
it would be an excellent proposition. We removed it that weekend.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Fantastic And have you had pushback feedback so far?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
No? I we here. We engage pretty heavily with our
guests as they come in generally, so we let them
know what's happening. We've got lots of activities here on
our Russell Peninsula YEP, which I'm sure most people will
know we're on a Bay holiday park. Fortunate enough that
we have opportunities to see Kiwi here, which is one
of our latest awards that we've just received, so we

(00:58):
won't be able to provide that expert. It's for not
only our local people of New Zealand, but also people
for around the world.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
The thing about the TV and people who want to
watch something, they're on their screens anyway, aren't they.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
That That's the thing. It's about discouraging that and reducing
that opportunity because as we know, everyone has cell phones,
they all have internet access on their cell phones. But
this is an opportunity to perhaps re engage with our land,
re engage with your family, for couples particularly maybe important
we are a declining population. Perhaps it's our TVs at

(01:31):
nighttime that are troubling this situation we're in, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Exactly. So what about the weather though, what about when
it's rainy, you know, and they're stuck.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
In size, we're in the mist.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
I mean, it's what about.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
To clear the air, But it's also part of it.
So too often where we're without power, sometimes up here
with our power companies. So it's probably best not to TVs.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Yeah, very good point, carry on, No, no, it's all good.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
God.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
What are the bookings like for summer?

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Very very full at the moment. That's probably been the
biggest season coming into it. It's already been pre booked
a lot of it. We've had a huge increase in
the numbers of schools that are coming to utilize our camp.
We are the Bay of Islands is one of our
most significant historical areas, so we have our schools now
returning up here is excellent, good, good, good. You know,

(02:32):
we have lots of other activities. Very grateful to the
Predatory Russell, our Russell Land Care Trust because without them
we probably wouldn't have the kiwis that we do have here.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
It's fantastic. Well, you have a good summer and I'm
glad you've taken the televisions out and I hope people
get out into the wilderness and enjoy it and soak
it up. Shane Madden, who's with the Russell of wrong
Abey Holiday pay for.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
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