2. Why might the local government not have taken a proactive approach earlier? Rotorua was New Zealand’s first tourism destination, rising to prominence a hundred years ago on the back of the government of the country’s vision for a South Pacific spa to rival those of Europe. In 1902 the government was convinced to invest all available resources in the development of one spa, at Rotorua, rather than spread resources around the nation. To support the spa development, government resources were used to develop and support Rotorua’s infrastructure and tourism industry, like no other in the British Commonwealth, for the best part of the 20th century. This included: airports, drainage, water supply, roads, parks and gardens, railways, hotel development, spa facilities, electricity, visitor information, swimming pools, lake launches, deer and possum release, administration of Maori villages, licensing of tourist guides, development of the New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts Institute, and geothermal tourist attractions. For many decades, Rotorua was New Zealand’s premier tourism destination.