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    • 2023 Regional Agritourism Accelerator >
      • 2023 Agritourism Accelerator Member Login
      • Agritourism Accelerator 19th Sept 2023 Start Member Login
    • Reviews / Testimonials
  • News | Media
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    • Businesses for Sale
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    • 2024 NZ Agritourism Conference
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NEW: ​2023 ​Agritourism Accelerator Programme - now online!

Whanganui Agritourism Cluster

Join the next online
"Agritourism Accelerator Programme"


The first six Agritourism Accelerator Programmes are currently in full swing.
​As it's the busy time of year for farmers, we're moving the popular Agritourism Accelerator online to make it easier and more flexible for you to join!


It's a 3-month course designed to help farmers and others interested in agritourism to identify opportunities, develop and grow their agritourism business (further) to diversify farm income, attract visitors to their region and build rural communities.​
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Up to 50% funding is available for this course for NZ businesses through the Regional Business Partner Programme (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment). Go to the bottom of this page for more info.
PictureHon. Damien O'Connor
"Marijke will provide the coordination and experience needed to plan entry to an exciting world of tourism and the sharing of our Kiwi rural life."​
Hon. Damien O'Connor, Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity, Minister for Trade and Export Growth, Minister for Land Information and Minister for Rural Communities.

Who is it for?

  • Farmers who are interested in setting up a tourism venture on their farm (agriculture, horticulture, vineyards etc.)
  • People who may already have (for example) a cottage on their farm and want to grow their business and income.
  • Businesses who are interested in partnering with agritourism operators in developing a tourism product/package on someone else’s farm.
  • Farmers and agritourism operators who'd like to be part of a supportive network of like-minded people.

Testimonials / feedback of the Planning Days in regions around New Zealand (May/June 2023)

"Loved everything- facilitator, venue, content, examples ... All so I inspiring. I’ve already re-listed our bach and am researching Walking Tours. Particularly enjoyed being with like minded people and hearing their stories."(Whanganui participant)

​"I feel it was a fantastic first day.  I've came home extremely motivated, and already in quite a different direction than what I thought yesterday morning." (Pukekohe participant)

​"Thank you so much for yesterday. I really enjoyed your knowledge and energy. There was certainly plenty of information.
I really enjoyed the case studies and how each of them had engaged and developed as Agritourism businesses. Great story telling.
I also thought the group had a good cross section of land owners with some great ideas peculating, I look forward to being part of the group."
(Whanganui participant)
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Manawatu Agritourism Cluster
"Such an inspiring day attending the Agritourism Accelerator Programme yesterday. There are so many interesting people doing interesting things in the agritourism space in Manawatū and neighbouring regions. Being able to connect with everyone to discuss ideas, plans and experiences was so valuable.
Thank so much for all the pointers and great day, it definitely helps with the momentum. We've made some progress this week!
"  (Manawatū participant)
"It was wonderful to meet you on Wednesday and absorb the day.  I feel like I'm really at the start of our journey so my comments come from that perspective.
The Planning Day was excellent.  It cemented the direction that we should begin with and opened up the space for future plans.  Also there was sheer wonder at what others are doing in our own backyard.  The day's format was comprehensive and logical.  As a presenter you are so professional and plain speaking so there's no chance of getting lost in jargon.  Listening to your experience was a privilege.  One of the things I really appreciated was how you pulled disparate information together that is freely available and routinely updated so that there is an enduring resource as we work through our journey.  After an ideas day, these resources can provide confirmation or redirection for next steps.  Additionally the wairua, spirit, of collegiality and cooperation that you brought to the day enhanced the group and perhaps opened up new opportunities.  Having a decent session of small group talking about our plans and challenges was really helpful.  It was well timed to get through the afternoon. 
Also was great to get the Great South perspective / overview." (
Southland participant)
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Assessing opportunities on your farm - Taranaki Agritourism Cluster
​"I found your session very informative and helpful and I learnt new ideas for our farm. Attending your workshop gave me inspiration and confidence to pursue agritourism. Thank you so much for providing this fantastic opportunity. I’m excited to share our lovely home, our farm with the world it is rich in culture, NZ history and it is an untouched piece of paradise right at our doorstep." (Whanganui participant)

​"Thanks for yesterday's presentation Marijke!  I found the day to be spot on in terms of content, pace of presentation and inspiration.  I'm really looking forward to delving into all those links and working on what next for us at Peihana Farm.  And... it was an absolute pleasure to be in the room with a bunch of really nice people.  I love the idea of the cluster to keep us connected - really valuable!" (Taranaki participant)

"Hi Marijke, I enjoyed yesterday's programme. Content was good, with interesting stats and useful links. Presenter , great and knowledgeable, of course. Planner looks good, plenty of room for scribbling on and just enough useful info and links, but yet to put it to work. Format good, plenty of breaks and the day went so fast. 
I enjoyed talking to other participants but didn't manage to talk to everyone, hoping to catch up with them in the cluster group."
(Southland Participant)
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What will you get out of it?

Participants will come away with a greater understanding of opportunities in agritourism, what’s involved in running a successful agritourism business, what could work on their farm, and a broad plan of how to achieve it. 
It’ll also be a great opportunity for operators to network and be part of a growing agritourism community.

Topics include:

  • Agritourism benefits for farmers, communities and visitors
  • Agritourism trends (NZ and international)
  • Agritourism case studies / success stories
  • Steps in planning, developing and growing an agritourism business 
  • ​How does the NZ tourism industry work?
  • Marketing: where, how and how much to spend (incl. digital marketing, social media, website, content marketing, systems etc.)
  • Agritourism product development – assessing your farm for agritourism, identifying & maximising opportunities on your farm​​
  • Pricing & distribution your agritourism business (incl. how to work with inbound tour operators and wholesalers)
  • Health & Safety, compliance etc.
  • Qualmark
  • NZ Tourism Sustainability Commitment
  • ​How to grow your agritourism venture 
  • Keys to agritourism business success 
  • Next steps; where to get support, getting started (or growing)
  • ​How to set up an agritourism cluster in your region
  • And much more!

How does it work?

  • ​We start with a 3-hour interactive ‘Strategic Planning’ zoom session in a small group.
  • Following this session, there will be six fortnightly webinars that cover a range of topics relating to starting, running, marketing and growing a successful agritourism business. (Note: if you can't make the webinar, you can view the recording).
  • Tools such as the ‘Agritourism Planner’, checklists, and worksheets as well as a comprehensive content library will be provided to participants.
The images to the right were taken at the Regional Agritourism Accelerator courses that started in May/June 2023. The next courses will be online, but still in a small group so it's easy to interact with each other.

Investment, course start dates & registration


Investment

Special introductory price of $850 + gst per person for the complete online programme.
Please fill in the form towards the bottom of this page to secure your place.

Note: Up to 50% funding available.
This course has been registered with the Regional Business Partner Programme (MBIE - Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) and up to 50% funding is available. Click here to register on the Regional Business Partner website.

Course start dates

Note: Attending the live zoom Planning Session on one of these dates is essential, so ensure you're available one of these dates:
  • Tuesday 19th September 2023
  • ​Thursday 12 October 2023
  • Saturday 28 October 2023
  • Monday 13 November 2023
(More dates to be announced for early 2024 )
​

​This includes: 
  • A 3-hr interactive 'Strategic Planning' zoom session in a small group (ensure you can make the start date)
  • Six fortnightly webinars. These will be recorded.
  • Bonus: two online networking sessions to discuss items of interest and network with other agritourism operators
  • ​Pre-course questionnaire for participants
  • Tools : the ‘Agritourism Planner’, checklists, and worksheets as well as a comprehensive content library with tutorials, mini courses etc.
  • Network through the Agritourism Private Facebook page  ​
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Registration

There are only 10 spaces for each start date, so it's first in, first serve!
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us: marijke@agritourism.nz 
Note: Attending the live zoom Planning Session is essential, so ensure you're available on the start date!

    Registration form

    Please fill in the registration form below. Once registered, we'll get back to you asap. 
Submit

Facilitator

Marijke Dunselman is the founder of Agritourism NZ and one of NZ's leading (agri)tourism marketing consultants & trainers with over 25 years' experience in (agri)tourism. She has worked with hundreds of tourism operators and farmers around New Zealand setting up and growing their businesses and has trained thousands.

She is also an experienced (international) conference speaker and is the Chair of the Education Committee of the Global Agritourism Network.
Click here for testimonials
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Marijke Dunselman
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Agritourism NZ 
PO Box 30
Queenstown, New Zealand
Phone: +64 21 456451
Email: info@agritourism.nz ​
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