Don’t be surprised to see a small buggy floating above Queenstown.
The paragliding buggy, owned by Making Trax, is part of Jezza Williams’ mission to make New Zealand the adventure capital of the world, for everyone.
Making Trax is a national charitable trust championing inclusion in adventure sports.
It was started in 2012 after Williams broke his neck in a canyon guiding accident in Switzerland, which left him tetraplegic.
It also led him to realise there was little support in adventure and tourism industries for those with different abilities wanting to ‘‘get out and do stuff’’.
‘‘In NZ, we live in an adventure-based area [and] everybody talks a lot about accessible tourism … which is about infrastructure, toilets, ramps, etc, and that’s really important, but it’s also about getting the tourism industry to understand what’s possible,” Williams says.
Instead of creating separate adaptive businesses to cater to people with disabilities, Williams wants to see the existing industry make space for those with different abilities.
‘‘We call it inclusive tourism, and it’s more about education for the industry so they can understand the potential of their client.
‘‘What I’m pushing at Making Trax is total inclusion and integration through adventure, which breaks down that unknown and gives people more confidence to understand everybody.’’
Williams works with operators and regional tourism organisations around the country, facilitating inclusivity through advice, education and equipment.
As well as making paragliding more inclusive through buggies, Making Trax has worked with companies to introduce e-bikes, rafting harnesses, and downhill gravity quads to help make adventure activities more inclusive.
A big part of the process is removing the widespread assumption that people with disabilities can’t do adventure sports, he says, because that only limits potential.
‘‘Nobody knew you could jump off the Eiffel Tower until AJ Hackett did and now everybody bungies off bridges … so it’s being able to put things out there as possible.’’
Williams, who works with operators like Air Milford, iFLY, RealNZ, and Oxbow Adventure Co to improve the inclusivity of their offerings, has brought the paragliding buggy to Queenstown, hoping a local company will want to operate it commercially.
He’s currently offering its use with volunteer pilots through the Southern Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club — anybody interested in a flight can reach out to Making Trax.
‘‘The [buggies are] game-changers — think of all the baby boomers that can’t run, think of all the people that might have an injury or a sprained ankle, and then all the characters that may have a different disability that want to get out and do it.
‘‘It’s about creating a destination and the more people we have on board with the Making Trax inclusive movement, then the more people get an incentive to come to NZ.’’
Making Trax also hosts an ‘inclusive directory’ on its website for operators subscribed to the trust, so visitors can judge if activities are within their ability.
‘‘I always say, diversity is power … so it’s all about making things possible.’’
