Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park reaps reward

Mount Beachside achieves Gold Sustainable Tourism Business Award. Photo/File

Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park has been recognised through Qualmark's Gold Sustainable Tourism Business Award.

The award recognised Tauranga City Council-owned park's commitment to sustainable environmental practices like recycling, reducing waste, and energy conservation. It was the highest sustainability award Qualmark offers.

"The whole team is committed to sustainable practices right across the board," said Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park manager Mark Hales.

"We generate solar electricity from the roof of the reception and use it to power the admin building and the house wherever possible. We also separate out general rubbish, food scraps and different types of recycling for both staff and visitors to minimise waste going to landfill. Every day staff manually remove recycling from the landfill bins.

"Our efforts around waste management have also saved the business $6000 in a year."

The food scraps went into a worm farm, and the park also took care of a nearby café's leftovers. Metal was separated out and collected by a specialist metal recycler.

LED lighting in the amenities blocks saved on power, and push-button taps and showers conserve water.

Chair of Tauranga City Council's Environment Committee, Steve Morris, said the award was a reflection of Council's commitment to creating a more sustainable city.

"As Tauranga grows at record rates we need to work harder than ever on environmental sustainability. It's fantastic to see the team at Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park leading by example."

In addition to environmental practices, the Sustainable Business Tourism Award award also assessed economic sustainability, customer service and people skills as well as health and safety. Qualmark was particularly impressed by the park's comprehensive health and safety systems.

Qualmark General Manager Cameron Lawrence congratulated Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park on its achievement.

"Any tourism business that has achieved a Gold Sustainable Tourism Business Award has demonstrated that all aspects of a sustainable tourism business are well developed and integral in the operations, communications, and guest experience delivered," he said.

"This will be evident in a customer centric culture, with staff reflecting this in their actions and service delivery, but the business will also have very clear leadership that values all aspects of sustainability equally."

In addition to achieving the Gold Sustainable Tourism Business Award, the park also retained its '4-star plus' rating under Qualmark's star grading system, which was a reflection of the excellent facilities and services available.

Qualmark, owned by Tourism New Zealand, is an independent accreditation system designed to enable travelers to select accommodation, activity and attraction options with confidence, knowing that the businesses they've chosen have been quality assured.