Rēnata West was born and raised in a Māori village on New Zealand’s North Island, and his family has been telling stories for more than 200 years as the pioneers of tourism in New Zealand. In this episode, Rēnata shares how his community learned to embrace tourism that both protects his people and preserves their rich culture—a model he now seeks to spread to other Indigenous communities.

Learn more about Rēnata's organization, Pacific Storytelling, and sign up for his newsletter, here.

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Unpacked, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices