HUKAFALLS JET EARNS ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD
Hukafalls Jet has gained a Qualmark Enviro-Silver Award, recognising its high standards in environmental practices.
To earn New Zealand tourism’s official environmental award, Hukafalls Jet had to show effectiveness in energy efficiency, waste management and water conservation, with community activities and conservation initiatives also considered under Qualmark’s environmental criteria.
Operations Manager, Nathan Dolman, says the team are very proud of the recognition for projects which have been underway in the business for well over two years now.
“We commenced our sustainability journey well over two years ago and in that time, we have made considerable improvements in all aspects of our business with regards to waste management and water and fuel conservation,” says Mr Dolman. “We have had a long-standing community involvement programme with our annual locals’ days and sponsorship of many events and activities around the Lake Taupo region so this award is an acknowledgement of that.”
All businesses carrying the Qualmark logo must meet standards for environmental practices, says Qualmark chief executive, Geoff Penrose, with the awards recognising top performers in this area.
“Environmental practices are evaluated as part of our quality assessment process and Enviro Awards are granted to businesses showing a high degree of commitment to caring for the environment and their community,” says Mr Penrose.
Over 470 businesses have achieved Enviro Award status - recognising their commitment to Qualmark’s responsible tourism criteria and environmental practices.
Qualmark® is New Zealand’s trusted guide to quality travel experiences - helping travellers identify over 2,300 great places to stay, things to do and ways to get around.
Accommodation, activities and transport businesses carrying the Qualmark® logo have been independently assessed to meet tough quality standards and environmental criteria - earning New Zealand tourism’s official quality mark
Qualmark is jointly owned by Tourism New Zealand and the New Zealand Automobile Association. The programme is run as an industry service, on a not-for-profit basis.
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For further information please contact:
Michelle Caldwell, Sales and Marketing Manager
Tel: +64 21989807
Email: info "at" hukafallsjet.com
Simon Claridge, Communications Manager, Qualmark New Zealand Ltd.
Ph +64 9 377 7153, Mob +64 27 687 8993.
About Qualmark Enviro Awards
Since August 2008, the environmental performance of all tourism businesses with a Qualmark has been assessed under Responsible Tourism Operations criteria as part of on-site quality assessments. Businesses performing well in reducing environmental impact in five key action areas (energy efficiency, waste management, water conservation, community activities and conservation initiatives) are eligible to apply for an Enviro-Gold, Enviro-Silver or Enviro-Bronze Award.
The initiative, referred to as Qualmark Green, was unveiled to the tourism industry by the Minister of Tourism on 27 May 2008. The introduction of the Responsible Tourism criteria marked a ‘world first’, with New Zealand being the first country to have a fully integrated quality and environmental performance tourism assurance system.
