Tom Sainsbury is policing perpetrators of NZ's worst travel-photo cliches. Video / TNZ
Tourism New Zealand is uninspired by the state of our summer holiday photos, and they've come up with a new incentive to improve our snaps and get New Zealanders to see more of the country.
There are over 2101 trees lining the shores of Lake Wanaka. Tom Sainsbury wants toknow why you'd take another picture of "that Wanaka Tree."
The Kiwi comedian is concerned that many New Zealanders are being led astray "under the social influence" of much repeated photos online. The Wanaka willow has appeared in over 63,000 Instagram photos and counting, the nearby Roy's Peak has been tagged 70,000 times, and frankly many of these photos look a little similar.
Tom Sainsbury has been apprehending perpetrators of New Zealand's worst travel clichés. Photo / Supplied
As the face of Tourism New Zealand's latest campaign Sainsbury has been policing the social-media trends of Kiwis for a promotional video. Patrolling lavender fields and the scenes of New Zealand's most heinous travel photo clichés, he has been encouraging New Zealanders to see more of their backyard.
"What you need to do is think outside the square," he says.
Sainsbury wants you to get off the beaten track and "share something new". He's not above a bit of bribery to achieve this.
As part of the campaign Tourism New Zealand is selecting the top 10 photos tagged with #DoSomethingNewNZ on social media through February, rewarding them with $500 each to put towards a New Zealand holiday.
Outside the Square: Photos of Roy's Peak have been shared over 70,000 times. Photo / Supplied
"'New' is different to everyone," says Bjoern Spreitzer, GM of domestic at TNZ.
"What we are asking Kiwis to do is find a tourism experience or destination that is new to them, then post that to social media in a new way."
To do this Spreitzer suggests consulting friends and family rather than the photos of travel bloggers.
The tourism body wants to see fewer "hot tub back shots" and more unusual activities in lesser visited places.
"There are so many incredible things to do in New Zealand, beyond the social trends," says Spreitzer.
To be in with a chance of winning one of 10 domestic travel vouchers worth $500, share your most original New Zealand travel photos via the hashtag #DoSomethingNewNZ on TNZ's social media before 1 March.
