Back to the Future - 100% Pure New Zealand Returns.

Positioning brand New Zealand to drive our tourism industry forward! Let's go.

Tourism New Zealand has officially returned to its iconic global brand position - 100% Pure New Zealand. And, as patriotic New Zealanders who love a strong brand platform (and our slice of paradise) we couldn’t be happier! The campaign comes with a refreshed focus and a $5.5 million campaign to bring it to the world - which, in todays world of media spends, is pretty hefty all things considered.

The team behind it have cleverly repositioned 100% to reference the experience of Pure New Zealand rather than alluding to environmental claims (as was perceived at points in the tricky history of this position - a seemingly impossible brand promise to keep and a catalyst for critique). 

This move replaces the more recent “If You Seek” platform which we thought was pretty good too (loved how the mind delivers the words “You will Find” without the creative / copy having to provide it) - but perhaps wasn't as strong or ownable position. There is huge latent brand equity in 100% Pure New Zealand. So it's time to turn on the tap.

Important to note that "100% Pure New Zealand" and “If You Seek” before it - are designed as enduring brand platforms rather than tactical pushes - like “Everyone Must Go” initiative rolled out in early 2025 to attract Australian visitors. Hence the moolah being put behind it. And the response seems pretty positive all round. As a country we're not shy in saying when we're not happy about something. Our silence speaks volumes - we love 100% Pure New Zealand. 

100% Pure takes us back to our heyday in tourism. Think Lord of the Rings, Air NZ Planes emblazoned with Hobbits, huge inflatable rugby balls outside event centres, beer and boats, Rugby World Cups, dreams of cycle lanes from Cape Reinga to Bluff - it was good times alright. And the position was well timed -  it worked - and it worked hard.  

When 100% Pure was originally launched in 1999, visitor numbers hovered around 1.6 million per year. The campaign saw visitors jump to 2.5 million by 2010 and, by 2019, we’d soared to just over 3.9 million international arrivals. At that time tourism contributed 6.1% of New Zealand's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) $15.9 billion - with connected industries and support driving millions more. It was awesome - the glory days of tourism....

....and then, doh! The world stopped. Covid happened. Tourism came to a halt. Borders closed. And we’ve been climbing back up that loooooong steep hill since. 

We’re getting there for sure (3.6 million visitors per annum currently - not to be scoffed at) - but there’s still a long way to go, particularly within our key source markets (Australia, China, USA and UK) - and high value travellers. That is, people are coming but they’re not spending as much as they used to. 2024 spending figures of $11 billion was nearly 40% lower than the $17 billion recorded at our peak. Chinese visitor numbers, in particular, are growing but have a long way to go to return to 2019 levels when more than 409,000 Chinese visitors contributed more than $1.7 billion to New Zealand's economy -https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/chinese/539065/chinese-tourism-fails-to-match-pre-covid-levels-despite-lunar-new-year-boost)

But, strong central organising ideas can be extremely powerful. Particularly if we all rally behind it. And, if a strong return to our 100% Pure campaign can capture hearts and minds of those 150 million active considerers around the world, converting them to book, well we are for all it! 100%.  Of course a number of government initiatives are designed to bolster this via our Tourism Growth Roadmap - from Digital Nomads Visa and Visa Waiver Trial for Chinese visitors arriving via Australia. The New Zealand government has set out 3 key objectives - 1) 3.89million visitors by 2026 2) Tourism exports doubled in value by 2034 to $19.8billion and 3) Grow the number employed in hospitality and tourism.

With all that's going on in the world right now - an experience of 100% Pure New Zealand is surely pretty appealing, right? 

We’re watching with interest -  and fingers crossed!

(📤 Given These Guys I Know’s passion for and interest in the New Zealand tourism sector, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this story in the coming months. Want to stay updated? Subscribe here!)