A neat place to be: Johnny Gibson talks New Zealand and the best it can offer

Speaking to a filled auditorium at Wintec’s Ramp Festival this week, co-founder of Neat Places Johnny Gibson says the idea for an independent tourism publication sprang from the ruins of an earthquake-shaken Christchurch.

“I moved back to the city about seven years ago.

“Post-quake, I saw this opportunity in the city, we had great things like Gap-Filler and it made everything seem real possible.”

Neat Places is a guide to cities and towns in New Zealand. Existing to enhance the experience of visitors and residents, it aims to provide a list of places it thinks are ‘neat’ and worth visiting.

What began as a simple website quickly grew into a brochure and is slowly establishing comprehensive guides in towns across New Zealand. Neat Places is now available in app form.

“A ‘neat place’ is defined by the customer experience. It needs to be a positive and unique one.”

The website has a comprehensive list of places to visit in New Zealand, and brochures can be found in cafes, tourist locations and, most recently, councils and tourism boards.

Gibson says Neat Places helps councils bridge the gap with businesses and with potential customers in their region, which benefits the local economy.

“They hire us because they want us to try and attract people to a new region.

“Generally, tourism boards and councils aren’t very modern, and don’t really understand content at the time and what people are interested in.”

Local councils often choose businesses they think are ‘neat’ to be entered into the brochure, although Gibson says the selection process often comes down to the things he personally finds ‘neat.’

“’Neat’ is not ‘right.’ It’s just what our brand is about.

“Some people don’t respond, some people get a little angry, but some businesses really take it on board.

“It’s really cool to go back and see a business that does that.”

Neat Places guides are constantly being updated as new businesses appear and old businesses drop off, which Gibson says introduces people to the new businesses springing up around the country.

 “There’s nothing more rewarding than finding a small business tucked down a lane way, hidden, that you may not have known about.

“We think it’s really important to stay and explore your own backyard.”