eco tour new zealand

Help Keep New Zealand Green

Our objective is to provide people with a quality New Zealand nature adventure, taking them to places and introducing them to unique experiences beyond the tourist trail. Our aim is to be recognised both within New Zealand and internationally as leading edge from a sustainability aspect; other businesses will seek us out to benchmark against us.  We will be the operator of first choice for clients and staff that have an environmental conscience.

To achieve this we need to contribute to the preservation and enhancement of our natural environment. We strive to ensure we comply with all relevant environmental legislation and commit to making our environmental records available to environmental agencies and other interested parties. The future of Flying Kiwi and indeed New Zealand's tourism future is dependent on ensuring tourism businesses are focussed on sustainability economically, environmentally and socially.

Tours with Flying kiwi can also reduce your carbon footprint when travelling around New Zealand. In addition to our environmental policy, cooking as a group, staying in tents and cycling instead of travelling by bus all helps to reduce your environmental impact. In many instances this can be as much as 60% compared with alternative methods of touring eg camper vans, rental cars and backpacker buses who aren't actively pursuing environmental goals. Our sustainability policy (see below) is reviewed annually to ensure that we are on track and striving for continuous improvement in our performance.

Actions include

• Conducting an annual Sustainability Assessment
• Regular staff training to ensure entire team understands our goals and their responsibilities
• Aim to reduce our CO2 emissions by regular maintenance checks including fuel efficiency and tyre pressures reducing fuel use at least 10% over last year
• Encouraging the suppliers we work with to develop their own sustainability plans and goals

We encourage you to visit www.carbonzero.co.nz to assess the impact of your travels to and within New Zealand and see what a difference camping based tours make.  The Carbon Zero programme gives you the tools to measure, manage and mitigate your carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions

Responsible Travel Policy

We respect and adore our beautiful environment, culture and history and strive to help others appreciate and maintain it.

• We stay in locally owned accommodation, having native guides and using activity options that are owned and operated by local people wherever possible. We focus on "authenticity".

• Our smaller group sizes (maximum of 28 people) have a minimal impact

•  on New Zealand's stunning environment as we explore predominantly by bike and foot
  

• All our guides take responsibility for ensuring that the guests understand the nature of the environment that they are in and minimise the impact that they may have.

• As much as we can our office recycles waste and we use recycled products when ever possible.

• On hikes we minimize waste by using products with minimum packaging, leaving no litter and keeping all water sources clean, leaving camp-sites clean or cleaner than we find them. Rubbish is carried out.

• Through annual and access fees to national park authorities we contirubute essential revenue to the protection and maintenance of flora and fauna in the parks we visit. We comply with the all plans of national parks we visit and help by reporting harmful events or special findings to the park management.

• By cooking in groups and staying in carefully chosen camp sites we focus on saving water and energy.

• We enjoy hikes and rides in smaller groups minimising any negative impact on the wildlide and environment. We also instruct people not to pick of wild flowers and plants.

• All travellers are made aware of our responsible travel policy pre-trip.

• We encourage all travellers to assess their carbon footprint and donate to offest it at www.carbonzero.co.nz

• By buying food as a group and cooking together we minimise the waste and energy required.

• Our vehicles are stringently tested and meet or exceed all the required emmission standards.

• As an increasig number of travellers choose to explore New Zealand using campervans and hop-on, hop-off buses our "authentic" option minimises the environmental impact of travellers trips over these alernatives.

• We use environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Active Members of: 

• Nelson-Tasman Sustainable Tourism Charter (http://www.nelsonnz.com/sustainable.tourism/)

• Sustainable Business Networ (http://www.sustainable.org.nz/home.asp).

• Green Fleet

• Work closely with New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Achievements and Targets:

• 2005 Nelson Environment Award

• 2006 Nelson Environment Award

• 2006 Nelson Medium Business Finalist

• 2007 Nelson Environment Award

• 2007 New Zealand Small Operator Finalist

• Work closely with New Zealand Department of Conservation