Paula Bennett.
Kiwis are renowned for our hospitality, and it's a character trait we take pride in.
Aside from the not-so-small matter of our epic scenery and rich cultural heritage, this might be why so many people like to visit our unique corner of the Pacific.
In the year to March, tourism became our biggest export earner, contributing $14.5 billion to the economy. We welcome around 3 million international visitors annually, who help boost regional economies like Northland's and provide more than 188,000 jobs.
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) indicative estimates show about 7000 people are directly employed in tourism in Northland alone.
More than 300,000 international visitors, along with those who travelled to Northland from within New Zealand, spent about $1.02b here in the year to October.
The exceptional growth in the sector does bring challenges - keeping our roads safe for everyone, ensuring we have sufficient accommodation, facilities and other infrastructure, and preserving our natural environment.
We have made funding available through MBIE to help regional communities develop facilities such as toilets, rubbish disposal and wastewater management systems that enable them to better respond to visitor growth.
This year, for example, the Far North District Council was awarded $120,000 of co-funding to construct new toilets to complement a stand-alone wastewater system and a pull-off area in Broadwood.
Some new facilities will help cater to freedom campers.
Though they arrive in relatively small numbers, these visitors spend about $260 million a year throughout New Zealand. Lots of Kiwis travel the country in this way, too.
Over the past three years, each freedom camper spent around $4880 compared with $2814 for visitors who used other forms of accommodation.
With our peak seasons thriving, Tourism New Zealand is putting its promotional efforts into growing off-peak international visitor arrivals.
MBIE also has a renewed focus on supporting tourism in the regions, with initiatives like the New Zealand Cycle Trail (think of the Twin Coast Trail) and the Tourism Growth Partnership's new regional stream helping create visitor attractions and tourism jobs from the Far North to Southland.
The Ministry of Culture and Heritage has launched a Landmarks Whenua Tohunga pilot initiative in Northland, which showcases the region's significant sites and shares stories about New Zealand's heritage, with a view to rolling this out across the country.
Visitor dispersal also helps manage the environmental impact of the visitor industry, and the Department of Conservation (DoC) is promoting short walks, huts, campsites and heritage sites at lesser-known destinations.
At busier sites, DoC works to cater for increased visitor numbers.
Visitors can have an impact on the environment, but the design and provision of infrastructure can almost always manage these impacts, as can regulating the numbers of people using longer tracks.
The Government and the industry are working hard to ensure Kiwis and visitors alike can continue to enjoy the best New Zealand has to offer.
Let's keep the benefits of tourism front of mind - these are benefits not only to the wider economy but also to our regions - so that we can continue to welcome visitors with the warmth and hospitality for which we are so well known.