Whale Watch Kaikōura Wows at NZ Tourism Awards 2018 Ceremony
Whale Watch Kaikōura has picked up one of NZ’s most prestigious tourism awards being selected as best NZ Maori Tourism business 2018.
General Manager Whale Watch Kaikōura, Kauahi Ngapora said, “The team is thrilled to receive this award after an extraordinary twenty-two months following a significant event that forced us to immediately review and change the way we operated the business. We had no choice but to evolve and adapt to a new normal that included looking at every aspect of our business when faced with over seventy percent loss of customers not being able to travel to Kaikōura by road. It was a very insightful experience. Despite the challenging period we are now emerging with growth in visitor numbers driven by the team’s committed focus on providing a quality visitor experience and valuing every single customer that has visited Kaikoura. Receiving the award on the team’s behalf was Teri Sonal, a founding and current Trustee and major shareholder of Whale Watch Kaikōura. This award means a lot to us and we’re proud to represent Kaikōura on the New Zealand and international stage. We’re rapt!”
Julie Howden, Acting Mayor Kaikōura District Council said, “What worthy recipients. We’re proud of Whale Watch Kaikōura’s achievement. The leadership, commitment and resilience of the team’s effort to help support the tourism industry (and community) prior to the November 2016 earthquake, during the response, and recovery phase post-earthquake, cannot be undervalued. We’re delighted their contribution to the local economy and wider community has been recognised at the highest level.”
General Manager Destination Kaikōura, Glenn Ormsby said, “What great news to share with the industry here in New Zealand and with our offshore partners and agents. Over the years Whale Watch Kaikōura has been an integral leader in helping establish Kaikōura as a must visit tourism destination. Being recognised by key industry leaders through a rigorous judging process highlights the outstanding operation that Whale Watch Kaikōura is and we’re absolutely delighted for the Board and team.”
For more information contact:
Glenn Ormsby, General Manager Destination Kaikōura Glenn@kaikoura.co.nz 027 547 9036
Kauahi Ngapora, General Manager Whale Watch Kaikōura Kauahi@whalewatch.co.nz 021 277 8259
About Whale Watch® the Company
Whale Watch is a multiple national and international award-winning nature-based tourism company owned and operated by the indigenous Ngāti Kuri people of Kaikōura, a Maori sub-tribe of the South Island’s larger Ngāi Tahu Tribe.Whale Watch was formed in 1987 at a time when Māori were casualties of Kaikōura’s declining economy. At this time of difficulty, Ngāti Kuri leaders like Bill Solomon believed the local Giant Sperm Whales held the answer to the unemployment problems of the Māori community. They knew their ancestor Paikea had journeyed to a new life in New Zealand on the back of the whale Tohorā. It seemed appropriate for Paikea’s descendants to again ride on the back of the whale to a new life.
And so it proved to be.The Ngāti Kuri founders of Whale Watch mortgaged their houses to secure a loan to start the business. In the early days passengers travelled aboard a small 6.7m inflatable vessel that carried 8 passengers at a time. In time, the inflatable was replaced by a larger boat with an upper viewing deck until today the Whale Watch fleet numbers four modern catamarans each specifically designed for whale watching. The expansion of the Whale Watch fleet required the building of an entire marina in South Bay. It is from here that all whale watching tours now depart.
Due to the phenomenal success of Whale Watch, Kaikōura is now one of New Zealand’s leading eco-tourism destinations offering a diverse range of exciting marine wildlife encounters. The company has stimulated investment in new accommodation, restaurants and an impressive array of cafes and galleries filled with the work of local artists.
Paikea and Tohorā still form the symbolic centre of Whale Watch. They represent the spiritual bond between the human world and the natural world and speak of the possibilities that reveal themselves when the world of nature is revered rather than exploited.
The Whale Watch® Philosophy
Whale Watch is committed to providing a quality whale watching experience while carefully managing the use of a rare natural resource. We are visitors to the world of the whales and respect it as such at all times. As a Māori-owned company, Whale Watch cherishes the twin values of hospitality to visitors and reverence for the natural world. It is a philosophy that embraces people, the land, the sea and all living things as one.
We cater for both FIT and Group & Incentive travel.
We provide our distinguished clients with customized travel designs and arrangements, and serve them a travel leisure life of high quality, and lead their travel concept and satisfy their deep travel need with our professional management of their life-time travel plans.
YoungTEC awarded two Hospitality Training Trust grants
The Young Tourism Export Council (YoungTEC) is excited to announce their success in the 2018 Hospitality Training Trust funding round.
YoungTEC are the successful recipients of two grants: $5,000 support towards the ongoing implementation of their award winning Professional Development Programme and $5,000 towards a second-tier training course for future tourism leaders.
Tourism Export Council Chief Executive Judy Chen says this gives the Professional Development Programme an opportunity to evolve to the next level.
“Receiving this grant is a real show of faith in the work that YoungTEC does. It shows how much progress it has made in just a few short years. It’s looking at opportunities beyond what it originally set out to do which is raising the profile of the organisation”.
YoungTEC’s Chair Nicole Botting says it’s an honour to receive the grant.
“We want to thank the Hospitality Training Trust for the opportunity to develop a second-tier leadership training course. This level of training has always been an aspiration for YoungTEC and the continued development of young people within our industry will have wider benefits for all”.
YoungTEC is set to consult members on the development of the new leadership training course and encourage all members to have their say on the topics and speakers considered.
The Hospitality Training Trust was set up to encourage and support training in the sector. Previous grants include masterclasses for secondary school hospitality teachers and a workshop about taking the leap from school to a career in hospitality.
ENDS.
For more information please contact Kim Cormack on 021 684 816 or kim.cormack@tnz.govt.nz.
YoungTEC is an organisation of young tourism professionals under the age of 36 years who are members of Tourism Export Council companies. A YoungTEC membership offers regular networking events with other young professionals in the tourism industry, educational workshops and a professional development programme complete with a mentor which gives you the most up-to-date tourism information and tips to take into your own workplace.
For more information on YoungTEC and to find out how to become a member visit www.tourismexportcouncil.org.nz/ytec or go to their Facebook page www.facebook.com/youngtourismexportcouncil.
The Young Tourism Export Council (YoungTEC) and New Zealand School of Tourism are excited to announce the formalisation of their partnership, working together towards a shared goal of inspiring, guiding and mentoring young people that have decided to pursue a career in tourism.
This partnership will see YoungTEC members and New Zealand School of Tourism students come together to share their first-hand experience working within the tourism industry, highlighting the various career opportunities available to students as they join the work force.
Tourism Export Council of New Zealand Chief Executive Judy Chen says
“The formalisation of this partnership shows the value that both YoungTEC and the NZ School of Tourism place on this relationship. By working together, we hope to support and upskill more young people in tourism.”
The New Zealand School of Tourism continue to show their support by becoming YoungTEC’s 2018/19 Regional Event Partner.
New Zealand School of Tourism Stakeholder Development Manager Bronwen Wilkinson says
“We see our partnership with YoungTEC based on professional respect, mutual alignments and common goals. Our students have much to gain from the guiding and mentoring YoungTEC members will provide. Our reason for being is our students and we value the fact the YoungTEC members want to be part of their journey to pursuing careers in the Tourism Industry.”
Regional speed dating events between YoungTEC members and students will be held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, supported by the creation of a mentorship programme providing one-on-one insight and advice.
YoungTEC’s Chair Nicole Botting says this partnership is highly valued by its members.
“Our members have always enjoyed the opportunity to meet with New Zealand School of Tourism students, sharing their experience and providing real examples of the vastly different career paths we have all taken”.
The speed dating events will kick off in September closely followed by the implementation of the mentorship programme.
ENDS.
For more information please contact Nicole Botting on 027 418 8943 or nicole.botting@christchurchnz.com.
YoungTEC is an organisation of young tourism professionals under the age of 36 years who are members of Tourism Export Council companies. A YoungTEC membership offers regular networking events with other young professionals in the tourism industry, educational workshops and a professional development programme complete with a mentor which gives you the most up-to-date tourism information and tips to take into your own workplace.
For more information on YoungTEC and to find out how to become a member visit www.tourismexportcouncil.org.nz/ytec or go to their Facebook page www.facebook.com/youngtourismexportcouncil.
New Zealand School of Tourism is part of the Academic Colleges Group, New Zealand’s leading independent provider of education.
New Zealand School of Tourism began in 1985 and is New Zealand’s largest private tertiary establishment specialising in training programmes for the airline, travel and tourism industries, training over 1000 students per year. New Zealand School of Tourism has seven campuses nationwide.
The company has always held the highest rating from NZQA which is a Category 1 status, having gained a Highly Confident rating in both Educational Performance and Ability to Self Assess, most recently in 2017. The company has a strong nationwide presence in secondary schools promoting travel and tourism careers as an option for students and providing tourism resources to schools who are teaching tourism.
Our mission for the past 33 years has been to provide employers with “work ready, world ready” graduates, who have the skills and qualifications to make a positive contribution to industry related businesses in New Zealand.
For more information on New Zealand School of Tourism visit www.nzschooloftourism.co.nz
Premium Queenstown and Milford Sound tourism operator Southern Discoveries has appointed industry leader Kerry Myers as General Manager – Sales and Marketing, as the company looks to further expand and optimise current operations.
With nearly 20 years of experience at leading travel and tourism operators both in New Zealand and abroad, Ms Myers will head up the sales and marketing functions of Southern Discoveries from the company’s Queenstown base.
Southern Discoveries CEO Tim Hunter says he’s delighted to welcome Ms Myers to the team.
“Kerry brings a wealth of industry knowledge, familiarity with the Southern Lakes tourism environment and current marketing experience relevant to our sector,” he says.
“Over the past 15 years, she’s worked in a range of senior sales and marketing roles for Ngai Tahu Tourism and most recently held the position of Marketing Manager for Shotover Jet, Dart River Adventures and Dart Stables.”
Mr Hunter says Ms Myers’ digital and physical marketing experience will prove vital as Southern Discoveries looks to grow its range of cruise, farm tour, cycle tour and day trip products in the Southern Lakes region.
“With strong analysis skills and extensive experience in sales management, Kerry is also very passionate about tourism in the area, and the strong network of industry relationships she’s developed will be highly valued within the company.”
Ms Myers says she’s excited about being part of the Southern Discoveries team.
“I’ve long considered Southern Discoveries to be an industry leader, delivering exceptional nature experiences in this unique part of New Zealand,” she says.
“Throughout my career I’ve always chosen to work with businesses that not only show off the very best of New Zealand’s scenery, adventure and hospitality, but also align with my values of preservation and social sustainability.
“Southern Discoveries fits that bill perfectly, so I’m very excited to be joining their proud and passionate team.”
ENDS
Wellington’s iconic James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor has confirmed a $10 million plus refurbishment of the hotel’s Lambton Wing, inclusive of 200 rooms and suites, plus the Executive Club Lounge. Renovations will commence this month and are expected to run into 2019, with the Greenstone Group appointed as the Project Manager and Naylor Love as the main contractor.
General Manager, Steve Martin recognises Wellington and New Zealand’s current tight supply of accommodation rooms and therefore emphasis has been placed on minimising disruption to operations and completing the project promptly. The refurbishment will be managed in stages, starting from the top floors of the hotel, and will include a complete re-fit of the bathrooms, bedrooms and furnishings. Impact on the busy restaurant and conference facilities on level 16 & 17 is expected to be minimal.
The modernisation aligns with the commitment to ensure the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor continuously exceeds the expectations of todays business, leisure and conference traveller. Extensive seismic strengthening work was completed in 2016 to achieve a 100% NBS (National Building Standard) rating. Replacement work of all seven hotel lifts commenced in 2017 and the lift upgrade to Lambton Quay and the Lambton Wing is now completed.
The James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor is located in the heart of Wellington City, conveniently situated between the leading retail district of Lambton Quay and the business hub of The Terrace. The 4 ½ star hotel features 268 accommodation rooms, valet parking, two restaurants and bars, a day spa, complimentary Wi-Fi and fitness facilities, with in-house guest yoga offered on a regular basis.
Grand Chancellor Hotels are located throughout Australia and New Zealand in key destinations. The ten 4 – 4½ star properties feature well-appointed guest rooms, with five hotels providing event venues which cater to over 400 people. For more information please visit grandchancellorhotels.com
Media Contact details:
Sarah Croskery – Director of Sales & Marketing
James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor
147 The Terrace Wellington 6011 – New Zealand
021 460 440
www.grandchancellorhotels.com
Wairakei Resort’s Anu Lakmal retains title of New Zealand Pastry Chef of the Year
Wairakei Resort’s Head Pastry Chef Anu Lakmal has reclaimed his title of New Zealand Pastry Chef of the Year for the second year running in the 2018 New Zealand Hospitality Championships held at ASB Showgrounds 11 – 14 August.
Induruwage Lakmal Anuradha – known as Anu – was the man to watch after winning gold and silver medals in each of his classes to claim the title of 2017 Pastry Chef of the Year.
The competition had the same three classes in 2018, a chocolate showpiece and petits fours (small bite-size desserts) that were to be made ahead of time and transported to the competition, and four plated desserts prepared live in front of the judges within an hour.
Once again Anu did not disappoint delivering pieces of edible art that allowed him to take two golds, a bronze, retain the overall title of 2018 NZ Pastry Chef of the Year and stake his claim as one of New Zealand preeminent dessert chefs.
“For the Chocolate Showpiece we were assigned the theme of ‘Our Team’ so I created a lifelike piece that showed ants building a nest,” said Anu. “For the Petit Fours I provided a selection of sweet orange bonbons, pistachio cheese towers, salty caramel crispy rounds and lemon praline chocolate cake with lemon jujubs.”
For the live section Anu produced a dish entitled ‘Plenty of Taste’ which consisted of layers of crunchy chocolate mousse & passion cream coated in a velvet chocolate spray with a side of baked passionfruit meringue crispy, Chantilly cream, almond crumble and torched orange segments.
Wairakei Resort Head Chef Matthias Kramer said that Anu has been a vital part of the Wairakei Resort Kitchen Team.
“With his passionate approach inside the Pastry Kitchen he delivers delicious and visual appealing desserts for events and our restaurants alike,” said Kramer. “His creative flair has once again proven to be a successful ingredient in winning this year’s Pastry Chef of the Year.”
Wairakei Resort’s Pastry and Breakfast Chef Kirtika Grounder also performed strongly in the same sections as Anu, claiming a silver in the Petit Fours and bronze in the Live Plated Dessert section.
On Monday morning Wairakei Resort also had two of their coffee connoisseurs competing in the Live Barista Class of the Championships. Continuing Wairakei Resort’s fantastic run Alicia Glynn claimed a gold in this category and Smita Patil claimed a silver.
Smita Patil said that this was her first competition and while she was nervous heading in, enjoyed herself immensely.
“I learnt a lot from this experience, both during the competition itself, but also in the months practicing leading up to it,” said Patil. “I plan on going back to compete again next year and will be hoping to achieve a gold!”
Press Enquiries: marketing@wairakei.co.nz
August 14 2018
Wildlife and conservation projects ‘flying high’ for heli company
Two wildlife and conservation projects are flying high thanks to a Glenorchy-based tourism company.
A connection between a seventeen-month-old Labrador and traps to prevent a hedgehog invasion in New Zealand’s native bush seems somewhat unlikely.
But they’ve been brought together in the frontline battle against natural disasters and the extinction of native species.
Three-year-old scenic flight company Heli Glenorchy is ‘giving back’ to Glenorchy’s treasured environment by donating flight time to New Zealand’s renowned search and rescue service LandSAR and the Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust’s predator control operations.
They’re helping the Trust ‘bring back the birdsong’ in the Routeburn and Dart valleys and helping Zara the Labrador to ‘fly’ to real-scenario training locations in the depths of the mountains.
For trainee SAR dog Zara, heli hours that any pilot would envy are important to her training.
She’s been trained from a puppy by NZ LandSAR Search Dogs volunteer and dog handler Vladka Kennett to search in wilderness and avalanche environments.
With her annual assessment due late-August, Vladka says it’s extremely important that Zara has frequent access to snow training and exposure to flying so she becomes comfortable and confident in the air.
“To have local community support is invaluable to us, not only for access to “real scenario” training locations but for volunteers to get to know each other before working together in real events,” she says. “This, of course, includes pilots and on-ground crew.
“The Head of the Lake is backcountry and heliskiing terrain and can only be accessed by helicopter.
“Thanks to Heli Glenorchy’s support, we can regularly visit the hangar to do routine obedience and search training and jump on and off ‘the chopper’ if needed.
“Time is crucial in an avalanche situation, so it can save lives if we can just grab the dog and a pack and jump on the heli right here.”
Meanwhile, flight time donated to the Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust will be auctioned on TradeMe, with scenic flights going to the highest bidder.
Trust Executive Officer Geoff Hughes says the funds raised will go towards predator control in the Routeburn and Dart Valleys.
“Most species at risk in the Routeburn and Dart valleys nest in places that predators find easy to access, so it’s our job to save native species from becoming extinct,” he says.
“Hedgehogs have been spotted in Blanket Bay and if they arrive in Glenorchy they could cause destruction to ground-nesting bird nests.
“The money raised could be spent on buying hedgehog traps by the Buckler Burn or help serve and maintain the 601 traps installed at the new Dart and Rees rivers trapping project.
“As a self-funding charitable trust, we’re ever so appreciative of Nick and the team for the funding and support.”
Heli Glenorchy also works with the Department of Conservation (DOC) servicing local walking tracks, in addition to commercial work including heavy lifting, firefighting and most recently assisting with the reconstruction of Kaikoura.
Its recent work has seen the company be recognised with a Qualmark silver rating for its sustainable practices.
Heli Glenorchy director and chief pilot Nick Nicholson is delighted to ‘give back’ to Glenorchy’s treasured environment.
“It’s the raw nature and remote terrain that makes our business possible so it’s nice to be working closely with the Glenorchy community,” he says.
“Our support to the Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust is complementary to the work we do with DOC, and New Zealand’s search and rescue service is essential to get behind as it’s a safety net for anyone exploring the backcountry during winter.
“Achieving a Qualmark silver rating is fantastic and supports the movement we’re going through for our Safety Management Systems framework.
“The recognition and constructive feedback we’ve received from Tourism New Zealand will help with future growth in all aspects of the company.”
Video footage of NZ LandSAR Search Dogs volunteer and dog handler Vladka Kennett and Zara can be found here.
For further media information please contact:
Kate Baxter
Sales and Marketing Manager – Heli Glenorchy
T: 021 238 5544
E: marketing@heliglenorchy.co.nz
Laura Nicol
Account Manager – Southern PR
T: 03 451 0444
10th August, 2018
Global Alliance of Private Hotels
Doug Robinson, Managing Director announces that ASURE Accommodation Group was recently invited to join GAPH (Global Alliance of Private Hotels).
ASURE Accommodation Group, is New Zealand owned and operated with over 40 motels, motor inns, motor lodges and apartments nationwide from Kaitaia to Invercargill, offering quality affordable accommodation and is the only accommodation group in New Zealand to have this alliance with GAPH.
Golden Chain Motor Inns Limited Australia (no connection with Golden Chain New Zealand) with over 200 properties was tasked with working with a group in New Zealand as they had already set up accommodation for this alliance in Australia with their properties also in Norfolk Island, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Indonesia, and in New Zealand ASURE Accommodation Group are delighted to have joined this alliance organised by Golden Chain Inns Limited Australia.
Through this alliance it is possible to search and reserve hotels on all the different networks’ websites. GAPH’s common goal is to make all alliance members visible in a larger market and to give the alliance guests the opportunity to find and make reservations globally. As GAPH is global, some of the other countries members of this alliance are based in United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Germany, Denmark and Austria to name a few.
ASURE Accommodation Group’s website ASURESTAY.com and Golden Chain Australia’s website Goldenchain.com.au will very soon have available links on their individual websites to allow for direct bookings from all GAPH affiliated members.
The Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ) has announced the reappointment of Anna Black, Executive Director of General Travel as Board Chair and the election of a new member Jake Downing, Head of Tourism of Weta Workshop to the TECNZ Board of Directors.
TECNZ Chair, Anna Black said, “As Jakes title suggests he heads up the tourism division, Weta Studio Tours, of the world renowned Weta Workshop located in Miramar, Wellington. His responsibilities include the Weta Cave Workshop Tour, the Weta Cave shop and a number of other creative visitor experiences. With 200,000 annual visitors to Weta Workshop he knows a thing or two about managing visitors and is well placed to make a valuable contribution to the TECNZ Board.”
The ten-member board plus two co-opt positions oversees the TECNZ’s finances and strategic planning and will serve a two year term.
The current board would also like to take this opportunity to thank the two outgoing board members Stephen Lester from Ngai Tahu Tourism and Dominic Cheng of Winchester Travel. A particular acknowledge was made to Dominic who resigned from the board after 16 years of service.
“I will certainly miss Dom’s jovial demeanour, immense experience and historical knowledge keeping those of us newer board members grounded in the history of TECNZ s predecessor ITOC and the direction that TECNZ is heading. A huge thank you from myself and the board for your service over this time.”
2018-2020 Board Members:
Representing Inbound Member Tour Operators (alphabetical)
Adele Marsden Director, New Zealand Educational Tours, Tauranga
Anna Black (Chair) Executive Director, General Travel Group, Auckland
Geoff Yee Managing Director, GSN Pacific, Auckland
John Gregory Manager, Terra Nova Coach Tours, Christchurch
Scott Mehrtens Leisure Time Tours | Travel Time South Pacific, Hamilton
Stuart Neels Group General Manager, AOT New Zealand & ATS Pacific, Auckland
Tim Reid General Manager & Director, Southern World NZ, Auckland
Representing Allied Members
Dylan Rushbrook Director, Synergy Tourism Consulting, Cromwell
Jack Downing Head of Tourism, Weta Workshop, Wellington
Michelle Caldwell General Manager S&M, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, Taupo
Co-opted Board Members
Jenny Simpson Tourism Partnership Manager, Air NZ Auckland
Nicole Botting YoungTEC Chair, ChristchurchNZ, Christchurch
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. 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:
Judy Chen
CEO-Tourism Export Council of NZ
027 6644 836