2022 TECNZ Achievement Awards Winners Announced
10 August 2022 – Three of New Zealand’s top tourism international businesses and two industry leaders have been recognised as the best in the business. This year the Achievement Awards are a one-off set of awards.
Prior to 2020, the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ) previously had tourism awards nominated by its membership for Inbound Operator of the Year, Allied Operator of the Year, Best Small Business of the Year and two Young TEC awards.
The Board believed trying to celebrate excellence while businesses were (and still are) in survival mode did not set a scene for easy comparison. Inbound Tour Operators (ITOs) had zero opportunity to generate revenue and most other businesses were operating on 20-30% of pre-COVID revenue.
For this reason, the Board chose to look at an Awards program that recognized a different type of positive contribution with Achievement Awards.
The purpose of the 2022 Achievement Awards was to recognise tourism businesses and individuals who have endured the challenges over the past two years and demonstrated exceptional community spirit, new approaches with sustainability initiatives and someone who has supported their local industry during the pandemic.
Three company and two individual award categories were developed. Thirty-one (31) entries were received. Fourteen (14) finalists were selected by the Board and then industry peers voted for winning entries.
- New Community/Charity Initiative Finalists:
- EcoZip Adventures, Waiheke Island
- Kohutapu Lodge and Tribal Tours, Murupara
- Wheelie Fantastic, Mapua
- WINNER: EcoZip Adventures, Waiheke Island
- New Sustainability Initiative Finalists:
- Ahipara Luxury Tours, Central Otago
- Ziptrek Ecotours, Queenstown
- WINNER: Ziptrek Ecotours New Zealand
- Innovation in Visitor Experience Finalists:
- Altitude Tours, Queenstown
- Fiordland Trips & Tramps, Te Anau
- Tākaro Trails, Napier
- WINNER: Fiordland Trips & Tramps
- Good Sort/Unsung Hero Finalists:
- Ben Thornton, Bush and Beach, Auckland
- Cecil Potatau, Ngāi Tahu Tourism, Auckland
- Lou Baddiley, RotoruaNZ
- WINNER: Ben Thornton, Bush and Beach
- Emerging Tourism Leader Finalists:
- Eleri Williams, Haka Tour Group, Auckland
- Grace Mitchell, Active Adventures, Queenstown
- WINNER: Zac Watson, Maverick Digital Tourism Marketing
Chief Executive of the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand Lynda Keene said, “All entries deserve recognition of the contribution made to their communities over the past two and half years. The judging process to find Finalists was difficult due to the high calibre of entries. There were some truly outstanding entries.”
“Congratulations to all Finalists and Winners. The stand-out winners have excelled in positive changes and contribution to tourism and the community since March 2020.”
Background on winning entries of the 2022 TECNZ Achievement Awards were:
New Community Charity Initiative
EcoZip Adventures, Waiheke Island
Prior to the borders closing in 2020, EcoZip Adventures was welcoming approximately 25,000 visitors p.a. to their Waiheke site. Of this, 70% were international visitors and ranged, in age, from five to 95. Primary markets were western, with our visitor profile being dominated by Australia, North America and Northern Europe. Efforts to engage with, and grow, the eastern markets had started to bear fruit and by 2018-2019 countries from within this wider market, notably China and Korea, had started to regularly appear in our top-demographics reporting.
EcoZip from its inception supported local charitable initiatives, often donating product as raffle prizes and, occasionally, with cash donations. In 2017 they supported the Graham Dingle Foundation and Variety.
Since March 2020, EcoZip Adventures engaged in three primary community and charity initiatives:
- Financial support for Waiheke Resources Trust and their Love Our Wetlands programme, which aims to restore 5 wetland sites around the island.
- A ‘Locals’ Day’ initiative, encouraging the Waiheke community to zip at low cost and with all the resulting revenue being distributed to 3 island-based charities
- A Big Buddy fundraiser initiative, using marginal, mid-week inventory to both raise funds for the charity and provide a brilliant day out for the organisation’s Big and Little Buddies.
Not only have these initiatives been good for the community and the environment, they were also good for our team’s morale and wellbeing. This has been important during these challenging times.
New Sustainability Initiative
Ziptrek Ecotours New Zealand
Ziptrek Ecotours is Queenstown’s first carbon-neutral tourism business – a multi-award-winning adventure ecotourism business renowned for delivering awareness and appreciation of the natural environment along with a healthy dose of ziplining adventure.
Situated on Queenstown’s iconic Bob’s Peak, guests can choose from one of four guided tour options. Sustainability is at the core of what we do at Ziptrek Ecotours. The business exists to educate guests about sustainability whilst facilitating an engaging activity in a beautiful environment. Since opening in 2009, Ziptrek Ecotours strongly pushed their sustainable and regenerative ethos to our stakeholders – whether that be staff, customers, suppliers or our local community.
Pre-covid, Ziptrek was averaging 600pax per week (the majority international guests). Post-covid, that number dropped to 150pax per week, a reduction of 60-70%.
Since COVID, their efforts and commitment to becoming leaders in this field and encouraging peers to follow suit has multiplied. In one of our most recent educational initiatives, Ziptrek developed a 6-part ‘Let’s Talk About Carbon‘ video series which aims to demystify the process of carbon reduction and offsetting for businesses and individuals.
Innovation for Visitor Experience
Fiordland Trips & Tramps
A family-owned business by Steve and Kate Norris with over 30 years’ experience in guiding small group tours to Milford Sound, on the Great Walks and in the wider Fiordland area. They are both passionate about sharing Fiordland, supporting the community, and working for conservation.
In February 2020 a catastrophic rain event in Fiordland and Southland resulted in significant disruption to travel and access to Milford Sound and the Milford and Routeburn Tracks. By this stage the writing was on the wall regarding the new Corona virus, and along with the rest of the tourism industry Trips & Tramps experienced a complete loss of business when the borders closed, and NZ went into lockdown.
Before COVID Trips & Tramps employed approximately 12 staff. Their visitor profile was 99% made up of international visitors. Most tickets were sold through ITOs and OTAs, with 25% being direct bookings. The business had to adapt to survive and quickly due to only having NZ visitors. This was done by focusing on the Fiordland Great Walk Package – 3 walks in 3 days. The package included a Kepler Heli Hike, Milford Track & Cruise, Routeburn Track guided walk. It appealed to those who liked to walk but not stay in a hut, those who hadn’t done much hiking and like the security of having a guide and have every detail catered for.
The package incorporated many local businesses as includes helicopters, hotels, water taxis/cruises, local cafes etc. The flow-on effect of the package reached further to local retail shops, supermarkets, other accommodation and activity providers, and restaurants and cafes, and support services in Te Anau as people stayed in Te Anau for at least 4 nights and made the areas the focal point of their holiday.
Fiordland Trips and Tramps new package offered a much better experience of Fiordland than they Sales helped support the community and it was heartening to hear fellow Kiwis say 100% would recommend us to friend or fellow traveller.
Good Sort / Unsung Hero
Ben Thornton – Bush and Beach
Ben’s Story: Two years ago, all businesses were told to pivot (a word many of us came to detest). We were told to “look to our balance sheets” and that we needed to get used to our business never being the same again.
Ben Thornton, and Bush and Beach do all that and much more. Rejected for the government support handed out to the select few operators that the government deemed worth of survival, and without fanfare, Ben took a formerly highly successful, 38-year-old, tour business and quietly repositioned it for survival.
Having assets in terms of both people and vehicles, he redeployed both in the service of a charity helping women and children who found themselves in dire straits and often the victims of family violence.
While we have heard of job-shares, Ben innovatively developed the idea of a person-share, finding ways to ensure that his key staff remained connected to the business yet able to be paid for the full working week that, with no customers whatsoever, it was impossible for him to provide.
Though Ben wouldn’t admit it, he topped up plenty of wage packets even when we didn’t have the funds to do so. At the same time, and without complaint, he continued to fund and resource Bush and Beach’s commitment to a pest eradication programme in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park – because rats and possums don’t take time off for a pandemic.
Ben has also given his time to the service of his peers and colleagues. Sitting on committees, attending innumerable workshops and webinars, and advocating passionately for the industry, and people, to whom he has a profound commitment.
YoungTEC Emerging Leader
Zac Watson, Maverick Digital Tourism Marketing
Over the past 2 years, Zac Watson has emerged as one of the New Zealand Tourism Industry’s most promising leaders. In a difficult time for all with the global pandemic, border closures and business unsettlement, Zac was able to provide leadership to those most directly affected, whilst adding value to the industry through his core employment positions.
Zac was elected chairperson of the Young Tourism Export Council (YoungTEC) in 2020 and re-elected in 2021. Membership organisations were acutely affected by the pandemic, with budget restrictions & member losses meaning providing value became of utmost importance, albeit with fewer resources than ever. Despite this, Zac lead the association’s board to pivot into a new way of thinking and executing, even adding to the annual events (outlined below) with a reworked core focus of connection for members. His influence on those under the age of 36 years of age, working in tourism, has largely contributed to those within the workforce choosing to stay within tourism.
- Biweekly group virtual check ins with members randomly drawn and rotated from the nationwide database. This provided a secure place to brainstorm, but also meant members connected with those outside of their own immediate region.
- A new partnership with New Zealand Māori Tourism (NZMT) which enabled capability building for members in Te Reo and Te Ao Māori.
- A new membership structure, meaning that those displaced had a connection with the association and industry with the introduction of a social membership.
- A total budget overhaul, YoungTEC had no income overnight.
Zac never fails to give back to those wanting to enter the tourism industry. He is a regular speaker at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), NZ School of Tourism (NZST) and International Travel College (ITC) where he has also sat on their advisory board for 3 years. Providing leadership in ensuring the qualification content is focused on real world industry issues and topics is something Zac is passionate about and does his upmost to make reality.
Finally, within his workplace, Zac champions leadership within the tourism industry. Throughout his time at Tataki Auckland Unlimited, Auckland’s RTO, he took a voluntary secondment to aid the delivery of the Tourism Transition Fund (TTF) leading a team of 4 advisors to ensure that $3.2 million was distributed to severely affected tourism businesses within the Auckland region within a tight timeline on behalf of central government. At Maverick Digital, his current employer, Zac is leading numerous initiatives to better connect and add value to the industry in the digital space, ensuring that operators are upskilled and able to full capitalise on a returning visitor economy.
ENDS
About the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand
The Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ) is a trade association that represents the interests of the inbound tourism industry since 1971. Its membership includes inbound tour operators (Inbound Members) and attraction, activity, accommodation, transport suppliers, regional tourism organisations and tourism services providers (Allied Members). TECNZ members collectively handle most of New Zealand’s international visitor arrivals. www.tourismexportcouncil.org.nz.
For more information please contact:
Lynda Keene
CEO Tourism Export Council of NZ
027 6644 836
