Passion tops profit for adventure guru

Nick Chater certainly disproves the adage that "those who can do, while those who can't teach".

Having built up two successful adventure tourism businesses - Multi-Day Adventures and Mountain Bike Rotorua - Nick is now educating the next generation through his role as the adventure tourism course co-ordinator at Waiariki Institute of Technology.

Adventure tourism is an industry he is passionate about and he says that is essential to a career in the sector.

"You have to be truly passionate about the outdoors and the activities you are involved in. It can't just be about the money. I feel blessed to do what I do."

"Clients pick up on people who love what they do and it becomes infectious."

But enjoying the activity isn't enough.

"You have to enjoy people and be excited about helping make a positive change in their lives. If you aren't a people person, this is 100 per cent the wrong industry for you."

He is a member of the New Zealand men's rafting team, but stresses that being good at an outdoor sport does not automatically make you a good guide.

"Often top-level athletes are the worst guides - they are very self-focused."

Adventure tourism is not about having a good time yourself, it's about working hard to make sure your customers have a good time.

"You have to be positive in a real way - not the over-the-top, insincere way. People come out with us to get away from their day-to-day life experiences. They want to have a blast and feel they have gained a real and positive experience."

Nick has been involved in all levels of the industry - from guiding and business ownership to executive involvement in the New Zealand Rafting Association and an assessment role with Mountain Bike New Zealand - and the industry has changed considerably since he joined 20 years ago.

"It was a lot more rough and ready when I started. There where no qualifications or formalised systems for safety and guide training."

He says the industry was more adventurous and, while skills and equipment standards are generally higher now, he is glad he started during the "trial and error" era.

"Some of those early guides were pioneers and truly awesome outdoor people - I had some incredible mentors."

A wet start to the summer has had an adverse effect on the industry as people opted to stay home or participate in indoor activities. Heavy rain through December and January meant many activities could not operate for safety reasons - helicopters and planes were grounded and some rivers were closed.

But Nick sees the real challenge for the industry in the strong New Zealand dollar and ongoing global financial crisis that has left some companies struggling and having to cut staff.

However, he also sees great opportunities for adventure tourism to showcase the best of New Zealand.

"We can do this by getting away from the mass-produced plastic tourism and continuing to develop the smaller boutique, real-tourism experience.

"New Zealand has the luxury of being incredibly beautiful, with a unique vibrant and positive indigenous culture. We are relatively politically stable and people see us as a happy/green/friendly place in a troubled world. People want to come here to get away from it all."

To make the most of these opportunities, Nick comes back to the importance of passion.

"As operators, we need to be super passionate about what we have here and about what we do. We need to give our clients the best experience possible."