Te Puia chief executive Tim Cossar (right) receives the Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award from the airline's chief executive, Nikhil Ravishankar, at the 2025 New Zealand Tourism Awards. Photo / Brady Dyer
Rotorua’s Te Puia has claimed the country’s highest tourism honour.
The 63-hectare geothermal and cultural attraction was named Supreme Winner at the New Zealand Tourism Awards on Wednesday night.
Judges described Te Puia’s offering as “truly iconic” and recognised it across several categories, with the attraction also winning the NZME Visitor Experience Award and the Sudima Hotels Tourism Excellence Award (Large Business).
The iwi-led partnership, which incorporates the New Zealand Māori Arts and Craft Institute, was also a finalist in the Toroa ā-uta, Toroa ā-tai Māori Tourism Award.
Held in Wellington and hosted by Tourism Industry Aotearoa, the awards celebrated the quality and diversity of New Zealand’s tourism sector.
A record 150 entries were assessed across 12 categories this year.
Speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post the morning after the ceremony, Te Puia chief executive Tim Cossar said it had been a “reflective” 12 hours.
He said the team had not expected such recognition, but the announcement brought a “sense of satisfaction and acknowledgment” for what they had achieved together in recent years.
Looking back, Cossar said Te Puia had made some “very brave moves” – something he had not realised were quite so “bold” until the awards night.
He said Rotorua took some “hard knocks” during the pandemic. Te Puia was forced to rebuild its business after closing temporarily and laying off most of its staff when its main international market dried up due to Covid-19.
The business reopened with a greater focus on engaging Kiwis – including the Rotorua community – without losing its international appeal.
Cossar said the way Te Puia used that time to transform and navigate into a “better future” was a personal moment of pride.
Cossar said he wanted Te Puia to “lead the way” and be seen as a “shining light” to ensure Rotorua tourism was not “dropped off the map”.
Crediting his team and board, Cossar said he was “backed to the hilt” through the rebuild.
While the board could have expected dividends, “they got nothing out of it for three years” but remained patient and committed to the vision.
Cossar said the Rotorua community supports Te Puia “big time”.
He said Te Puia was “intertwined” with its community, and that belonging and support meant “amazing things are possible”.
Te Puia now employs nearly 200 people, and Cossar said new experiences and innovative marketing approaches could be expected for the ever-developing industry.
Judges praised Te Puia’s “bold transformation” over the past five years, saying it had become a “truly iconic experience that will stand the test of time”.
They said the organisation’s focus on sustainability and high-quality visitor experiences had made a “positive impact” on its business, community and the wider tourism industry.
Te Puia won the Pak’nSave Creative Arts and Design Award at this year’s Tompkins Wake Rotorua Business Awards, after claiming the local Supreme Award last year.
Tohu Experiences, Tongariro River Rafting, and Kohutapu Lodge & Tribal Tours were also among this year’s New Zealand Tourism Awards finalists.
Tongariro River Rafting entered the awards for the first time this year.
“I’ve been told you never win the first time,” business owner Garth Oakden said, but the team took home the WestPac Tourism Excellence Award for micro businesses.
Oakden said the recognition reflected decades of effort since establishing the Tūrangi-based company in 1990.
The team had recently moved into a new base, making operations easier and helping the business grow.
Looking ahead, Oakden said they were aiming to strengthen sustainability practices and “have a crack” at more awards in the future.
Kohutapu Lodge & Tribal Tours owner and director Nadine ToeToe won the Auckland Airport Tourism Industry Champion Award.
ToeToe said she was “humbled” to be recognised among “the best of the best” in New Zealand tourism.
Judges noted her “passion and dedication” in using tourism to drive social and cultural impact.
Over the past year, the Galatea-based lodge developed an online cultural health and safety module with AU Consulting, helping visitors understand tikanga Māori and expected behaviours before arriving on-site.
The aim, she said, was to enhance visitor experiences while protecting and uplifting indigenous visitors and hosts.
There’s health and safety for everything, ToeToe said, but there had not been that guidance for cultural practices.
Half the proceeds from each module support Native Nations, the company’s social enterprise providing international travel opportunities for young indigenous people.
ToeToe said the recognition was shared by the wider community and came just a week after Kohutapu Lodge was named one of the North Island’s top experiences by Lonely Planet.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Rebecca Ingram said the awards night highlighted the “incredible passion” driving the nation’s tourism industry.
She said operators continued to “find new ways to deliver outstanding visitor experiences, grounded in manaakitanga”.
Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award
Tourism Talent Employer of Choice Award
NZME Visitor Experience Award
Avis Budget Group Community Engagement Award
Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust Tourism Collaboration Award
KiwiRail Tourism Environment Award
GO Rentals Innovation Award
Toroa ā-uta, Toroa ā-tai Māori Tourism Award
Westpac Tourism Excellence Award (Micro Business)
ServiceIQ Tourism Excellence Award (Small-Medium Business)
Sudima Hotels Tourism Excellence Award (Large Business)
Sir Jack Newman Outstanding Industry Leader Award
Tourism Industry Aotearoa Emerging Tourism Leader Award
Auckland Airport Tourism Industry Champion Award
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.