Prince Harry has starred in a skit promoting his new eco-travel project which would see holidaymakers ‘rated’ on their green credentials.
In a five-minute video published on the YouTube page of the duke’s non-profit Travalyst today, the Queen’s grandson goes for a jog through California which doubles as the backdrop for ‘New Zealand woodland’.
I never do… Hang on a second. How do you know that?… That’s really weird,’ Harry quips.
The duke insists the wrapper is not his, with comedian Darby saying: ‘It might have been a confusing time, it was windy.’ Harry responds: ‘I don’t think it was confusing. It was an incredible time. We had an amazing time in New Zealand. It’s beautiful.’
Fane, who plays another rating agent, arrives claiming he is meant to be assessing the duke, saying: ‘I’m supposed to be rating Harry. You’ve got Harry Styley and I’ve got the stylish Harry.’
The duke delivers several phrases in Te Reo Maori as he chats with Star Wars actress Owen, who pulls up in a van to check on the disorganised agents during the skit which was filmed in California. Asked how he is, the duke responds back in Maori with ‘Kei te pai’ [I am fine] and admits the rating ‘has got me thinking’.
Launching his campaign on Maori Television’s current affairs programme Te Ao with Moana, Harry described New Zealand as a country of ‘sustainability pioneers’ and called his project his ‘new kaupapa‘ – the Maori word for work that is considered principled and for public good.
He went on to praise Maori culture, which he said ‘inherently understands sustainable practices and how to take better care of our life-giving-land, which are critical lessons which we can all learn’.
Travalyst CEO Sally Davey said New Zealand was an ‘obvious fit’ for the new project, telling Stuff Travel: ‘We really wanted to start this journey in a place where sustainability is already embedded in the destination – particularly in the local community.
‘The Duke in particular is very aware of Maori culture and kaitiakitanga [guardianship] and felt very strongly, as we all did, that Aotearoa was just an ideal setting for the pilot.’
In a statement, Harry said: ‘In a world where we’re tasked with rating so many things, we’re now asking: what if your destination rated you?
‘Starting in beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand, we’re launching our first campaign. There is a well-known Maori proverb: Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, ēngari he toa takitini (success is not the work of an individual, but the work of many) – we invite you to be a part of our many.’
Referring to the country in its Maori-language name Aotearoa, Harry told Te Ao with Moana: ‘A few years ago I founded Travalyst, a non-profit dedicated to making sustainable tourism mainstream for all of us, and through that making systemic change.
‘Every year more and more of us want better options, and for the first time Travalyst is striving to make that reality for everybody who wants to support local communities… and looking after nature and wildlife.
‘For our first campaign, we are encouraging people to flip the script. We’re always being asked for our feedback on our trips and experiences, but what would happen if our holiday rated us? It’s an important question to ask, and we want all of you to help us answer it.’
Harry added: ‘I’ve been to Aotearoa a number of times throughout my life, and I’ve always felt a deep connection and respect towards the Maori people, who make me feel so welcome every time.
‘Most recently when I visited with my wife, we were touched by the connections we built and the incredible memories we have from our time there.
We were particularly honoured to meet with young people, who are dedicated to the Maori culture and to giving back to their communities and their country. They are rightly determined to make this world a better place for the next generation.
‘Guided by Maori knowledge and practices, Aotearoa is a country of sustainability pioneers. The Maori culture inherently understands sustainable practices and how to take better care of our life-giving-land, which are critical lessons which we can all learn.’
‘It’s interesting to hear someone who’s a royal speak about Maori values, given our history but also given the current debates about having Maori values at the forefront of decision making and relationships,’ she said.
‘We are open to talking to anyone… anything that particularly resonates with our values as Maori – whether we agree or not. We talk about the Crown every week. I’m hoping that we will have an interview further down the track to tease out that relationship between Maori and the Crown.’
Te Ao with Moana host Moana Maniapoto said Harry had been inspired by Maori values around kaitiakitanga, which translates to ‘guardianship and protection’.
In 2018, the Prince returned to New Zealand with Meghan Markle.
The pair discussed moving to there according to the Queen’s representative in the country.
That was more than a year before they stepped back from royal duties and moved to the US.
Former governor-general Dame Patsy Reddy recalled the couple saying they ‘could imagine living in a place like this’ and questioned whether it would be ‘theoretically possible’.
She told Associated Press in an interview: ‘They were looking at how they might raise their family.
‘And obviously they’ve made some decisions since.’
Harry and Meghan, shocked the world when in January 2020 they announced their intent to step back from senior royal roles, become financially independent and spend more time in North America.
Recalling the couple’s trip to New Zealand, and how they appeared tired, Dame Patsy, 67, said: ‘I remember they’d just been down to the Abel Tasman National Park when we sat down and had a drink.
‘They said that they could imagine living in a place like this and wondered whether we thought it would be theoretically possible. Even possible for them to have a place in New Zealand.
‘Of course, we said, ‘Sure. It would be fine’. There are lots of opportunities to live in New Zealand, but that would be something that they’d have to explore.’
The discussion suggests the couple were considering options outside Britain less than six months after they married and well before their eventual move to the US.
Dame Patsy said she did not view it as a formal request for assistance but more of an informal discussion about the couple’s hopes for the future.
She said they seemed impressed with access to the outdoors and their interactions with New Zealanders.
During a widely watched interview with Oprah Winfrey last year, Harry and Meghan said they had offered to take a step back from royal life in a Commonwealth country such as South Africa or New Zealand.
Dame Patsy said she watched the interview but did not want to comment on internal royal family business.
‘I thought they were a lovely couple and I hope they’ve got a great future where they are,’ she said.