Regenerative Business Practices within Queenstown Lakes District
Author: Micaela McLeod
Supervisors: Rachel McNamara Alexa Forbes
20 April 2025
McLeod, M. (2025). Regenerative Business Practices within Queenstown Lakes District [Master's thesis, Otago Polytechnic]. Research Bank. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.6901
Abstract
This research investigated the capacity of tourism businesses in the Queenstown Lakes District to address the climate crisis, in line with the objectives of the district’s Destination Management Plan (DMP) and goal to become a regenerative visitor economy. The research aimed to explore practical interventions that enable businesses to transition toward more sustainable and regenerative practices, while considering the broader systemic challenges they face, such as economic pressures and insufficient policy and infrastructure support. Ultimately, questioning if businesses can become regenerative in the current economic system, and attempting to understand why previous work has failed to establish a clear framework or metrics to support businesses in the transition. The research applied multiple methodologies but was primarily rooted in the Disruptive Design Method (DDM), providing a systems-thinking framework to design, implement, and evaluate targeted interventions that support businesses in their sustainability journey. Information was gathered from three Queenstown-based businesses of different sizes and offerings, attempting to reflect the diversity of challenges and opportunities within the sector. Each business then agreed to adopt an “intervention” that aimed to support the business in moving toward increased sustainability practices. The findings helped identify practical recommendations for businesses, emphasising the integration of regenerative and adaptive practices across all aspects of operations to build resilience in an increasingly volatile climate. The findings also indicate that without strong global and local business signals (in the form of incentives and regulation) it will be difficult to mobilise business to the level required under the current economic system.
Keywords
regenerative tourism, destination management, regenerative business, business sustainability
Licence
This thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
