Australians are helping power Aotearoa’s regenerative tourism revolution, with New Zealand’s Great Rides cycle network generating NZ$1.28 billion in annual spending, revitalising communities, ecosystems, and local economies.
The Ngā Haerenga Great Rides of New Zealand are now a billion-dollar sector, according to the 2025 evaluation released by New Zealand Cycle Trails (NZCT), with visitor spending on the 23 premier routes reaching NZ$1.28 billion for the year ending June 2025, a 35 per cent increase from 2021.
The report highlighted that International visitors, such as Australians, typically stay longer, spend more, and engage more deeply with the trail experience. In fact, nearly two-thirds of Aussie visitors undertook multi-day trips, staying in regional accommodation, supporting local eateries, and booking gear hire and guided experiences. Among international users, Australians were also the most likely to ride multiple trails on a single trip.
“Australians are core to the growing success of our Great Rides,” the report notes. “They are returning not just as tourists, but as engaged trail users who value the cultural and environmental story of each region.”
Why are the Great Rides considered regenerative?
Unlike traditional tourism models, which often strain local resources, the Great Rides have become a working example of regenerative travel. They don’t just preserve what exists; they actively improve ecosystems, community wellbeing, and cultural connection.
In 2025 alone, trail managers and volunteers:
- Planted more than 37,000 native trees and shrubs
- Fenced off 3km of waterways to protect ecosystems (118km in total)
- Installed 695 new pest traps (2,671 to date)
Cumulatively, that brings the total to nearly 450,000 native plantings and over NZ$620,000 in volunteer contributions. Importantly, trail usage is correlated with increased environmental awareness: 48 per cent of users report greater appreciation of the natural environment, and 30 per cent say the experience deepened their understanding of local culture and heritage.
Trail usage also contributes to active transport outcomes, with nearly 75,000 trips recorded as school or work commutes, up from 32,000 in 2021.
What health and community benefits are being delivered?
The regenerative ripple spreads well beyond the trail edge. In 2025, the health benefit attributed to trail use was estimated at $696 million. That includes:
- 57 per cent of users reporting improved mental health
- 57 per cent reporting improved physical fitness
- 33 per cent feeling stronger social connections
The trails have also become pillars of local pride: 85 per cent of stakeholders say their trail boosts community identity, and 87 per cent say it’s valued by residents.
This emotional connection is particularly strong in areas with significant Māori community engagement, where trails reflect place-based storytelling and whenua care (care for the land).
How is the economic benefit distributed?
Australians and other visitors are fuelling an economic engine that touches nearly every sector. The average per-person spend on the trails rose to NZ$964, with top categories including accommodation, cafes, bike hire, and local attractions.
More than 2,900 businesses now directly service Great Ride users, up from 1,591 in 2021. Approximately half of new businesses were launched after a local Great Ride opened, and nearly three-quarters of existing businesses have expanded as a result.
Aussie travellers, with their high rate of multi-trail and overnight use, are instrumental in sustaining this momentum. Their presence drives seasonality resilience, demand for local experiences, and employment. For example, trail-related businesses now average 5.5 full-time and 4.9 part-time staff, many scaling up during peak season.
What does this mean for regenerative travel in Australasia?
Ngā Haerenga’s success positions Aotearoa as a regional leader in regenerative tourism. It offers a blueprint for how low-impact travel can deliver high-value returns: economic, social, and environmental.
As regenerative tourism continues to shift from a buzzword to a business model, New Zealand’s Great Rides demonstrate how infrastructure, community will, and cross-Tasman visitors can combine to create a lasting legacy. This is the circular economy we hear so much about, working in real life to achieve real, positive outcomes.
For Australian agents, operators and tourism bodies, it’s an invitation to go beyond green and build offerings that give more than they take.
Read the full evolution report here.
For more on New Zealand’s Great Rides, head to: www.nzcycletrail.com
KARRYON UNPACKS: Aussies aren’t just pedalling for pleasure, they’re co-architects in a regenerative future. The 2025 Great Rides evaluation shows that tourism done well isn’t a transaction; it’s a relationship between the traveller, the place, and the community. With environmental care, health outcomes and local economies all benefiting, Ngā Haerenga is a living example of how tourism can be part of the solution.
