COVID-19 governance snapshot - Dennis Christian
29 April 2020
Dennis Christian
- Flying Kiwi Managing Director
- Destination Great Lake Taupo Trust Trustee
- Wilson’s Abel Tasman Independent Chair
- Tahuna Beach Camp Association Trustee
- Nelson College Board Member
What roles have consumed the majority of your time over the last 4-6 weeks and why?
Destination Great Lake Taupo because it’s a Regional Tourism Organisation like the NRDA so it represents lots of owner operators and with tourism being such a big employer, the implications of what’s happening for our stakeholders are huge.
With the Tahuna Beach Camp, the biggest issue has been around health and safety concerns for those who are resident within the camp during the lockdown period. The council also asked if we would take onboard displaced freedom campers as well.
What about your own Flying Kiwi Adventure Tours business?
We’ve lost 100% of our revenue because we’re totally reliant on international clients. It doesn’t look particularly hopeful that we’ll survive because it’s not the type of product you can pivot to the local market.
What kind of conversations are you having around the board table?
Some people are wanting to do far out scenario planning. We need to do some rough, high level stuff but the thing that is creating the biggest angst for us is uncertainty around timing. It’s very much about the here and now.
There is talk of MBIE providing another tranche of support so tourism operators are hanging back. If we were to make a decision today based on what’s happening today, a lot more would be folding.
Where do you find the strength to lead other organisations when the crisis hits home so hard?
It comes back to your motivation to be on boards in the first place. It’s not because any of them are particularly well paid. It’s about having an interest in what I am doing. There’s a wider good in being able to take worst case scenarios of what I’m going through and apply those learnings elsewhere. It’s a positive distraction.
How has school governance during this time differed from your other roles?
In times like these you really need to rely on the central government advice and have trust in the system. You can’t be randomly going off and making your own decisions.
What would you do differently in governance as a result of what we’ve now experienced?
I’d ensure that any business had a decent amount of cash reserves to be able to hibernate for 12 months. I’d be thinking more about the diversity of client base. I’d also think more about the advice we give in the tourism industry to major suppliers or clients. It’s about thinking about other people and being kind to one another.
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