Exclusive: Fergus Brown on 21 years with HPNZ

By Naomii Seah

Holiday Parks New Zealand (HPNZ) is the industry association for the holiday parks sector of New Zealand, originally established in 1955 as the Camp and Cabin Association. 

Outgoing Chief Executive Fergus Brown has had more than 40 years in the tourism and accommodation business, over twenty of which have been with HPNZ. Here, Brown chats to AccomNews about his career at HPANZ. 

This interview featured in our newly published
Caravan Industry Spotlight HERE

You’ve been at HPNZ since 2003. What are some major changes you’ve seen in the 21 years you’ve helmed the organisation?

There have been many changes since 2003 when I joined the organisation, with many of them being around technology. Back in 2003 many parks used manual property management tools. Most parks now use online booking systems which incorporate channel management and dynamic pricing functions.

The latest change in our sector has been the introduction of corporate owners. This has been a great benefit to the sector and the New Zealand tourism industry as these new players invest in both the physical product and staff development.

What makes holiday parks unique as an accommodation option?

Holiday Parks offer much more than just accommodation. They are a place where the other guests are a very important part of the product. Families return year after year to meet friends and make new ones. It is rewarding to see overseas visitors mixing with Kiwis while preparing a meal or washing dishes. Holiday parks are very social and offer a special holiday experience for visitors of any age.

In your opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages, or strengths and weaknesses of the sector?

A major strength is our nationwide locations with many parks located in very special parts of New Zealand.

The advantages are many, but I would highlight the passion that the individual owner/operators bring to the business. A key strength is the fact that a holiday park is just that – a park where you holiday. The outdoor areas are considerable and there is plenty of space for everyone.

Our weakness is our greatest opportunity, and it is seasonality. We hosted 2 million guests in January this year and 1.1 million in both February and March. We don’t get close to these numbers in other months and so we have huge capacity to welcome more guests and to increase productivity and profitability.

What’s been the highlight of your time at HPNZ?

It might not sound like a highlight, but COVID-19 was a challenging time which, from a personal view, provided many rewards. I had to work closely with my members, and others in the accommodation sector, to help them through something that none of us had experienced before. The holiday park sector came out of COVID very strongly with increased guest nights and strong businesses. I hope, though, that I never have to go through another highlight like this.

How can the sector diversify?

With an increased range of built accommodation, our sector can target different markets such as corporate travellers and meetings. Some parks have excellent meeting facilities, and combined with the abundance of space, they are an attractive option for small and medium business meetings.

In your last interview with AccomNews, you noted that climate change is one of the biggest challenges the industry faces. What do you think needs to happen to future proof the sector?

It is essential that parks take a serious approach to both climate adaptation and mitigation. Parks are already buying into the Tourism Sustainability Commitment and are changing the way they do business to minimise carbon and waste. There will be more challenges around adaptation and with many of our parks close to the sea or located beside rivers, they must be planning now for the impacts of climate change.

What’s next for you?

Not sure at this stage. I don’t plan to be looking for a new full-time position, but I still have plenty of energy and passion for tourism and will look for opportunities to use both.

Any personal holiday park recommendations in NZ?

It is a bit like choosing your favourite child. I have fond early memories of Smiths Holiday Park (now Paihia TOP 10) where our family camped when I was a kid. Now I see some fantastic parks such as Tasman Papamoa Beach, Hahei Holiday Resort, Hot Water Beach TOP 10, Lake Taupo Resort, Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve, Omarama TOP 10, Driftaway Queenstown and Te Anau TOP 10 all of which offer wonderful holiday options.

What makes our sector special is not just the bigger parks but the smaller parks which are proudly owner operated. Parks such as Smiths Farm Holiday Park, Castlepoint Holiday Park, Tasman Ohiwa Beach, and Ross Beach TOP 10 are just a few of our very special places.

AccomNews

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