Three Bay of Plenty tourism businesses scoop up sustainability awards

Rotorua Canopy Tours, Kaitiaki Adventures, and Redwoods Treewalk have been announced as three of seven winners of the new prestigious Qualmark 100% Pure New Zealand Experience award at a ceremony hosted at Parliament.

The seven winners among 41 finalists celebrated during the awards ceremony in the Banquet Hall at the Beehive in Wellington on Wednesday night.

The winners were congratulated by Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis, who also hosted the ceremony.

The awards recognised excellence in visitor experiences that embodied sustainable tourism practices and hosting, and a commitment to 'Tiaki - Care for New Zealand', a tourism industry initiative to encourage travellers to care for people, place and culture while in New Zealand.

The awards were sponsored by Qualmark, Air New Zealand, and Tourism New Zealand.

A shortlist of 41 applicants was announced a few weeks ago out of more than 1500 Qualmark registered operators in New Zealand.

Canopy Tours general manager Paul Button, who was at the awards in Wellington, said it was an absolute honour to receive such a prestigious award.

"We're really honoured to have received this award, especially when you consider some of the other fantastic operators that were up for recognition," Button.

Redwoods Treewalk co-founder Bruce Thomasen said he was proud to receive the award and acknowledged the other entrants.

"It's a wonderful achievement for us. The award recognises our commitment to community, sustainability and the environment," he said.

Kaitiaki Adventures business development manager Jason Wright said he was humbled to receive the award.

"It's an absolute credit to the talented and extremely hard working crew at Kaitiaki Adventures, both past and present."

The Qualmark 100% Pure New Zealand experience award is a new and prestigious form of recognition for tourism operators, and is judged based on operator merit in three categories – manaakitanga, tiaki, and whanau.