Our Environmental Promise to You
We believe in protecting the beautiful environment of New Zealand, and want to ensure that your children and grandchildren can visit and enjoy it too. To this end, we've developed an environmental plan and welcome your support for this initiative.
Most of our clients want to help, so we invite you to join with us by enjoying your walk with us and understanding our environmental policy.
Supporting Wildlife
Guided Walks NZ participates in supporting wildlife conservation:
- Supporting regeneration of native New Zealand forests and wildlife conservation by setting, and maintaining stoat and rat traps in our local native forests.
- Offering our clients the opportunity to contribute and learn about our local environment by showing and explaining the purpose of the traps, and the danger that stoats and rats are to the conservation of our native and endemic bird life.
Reducing Pollution
Guided Walks NZ is reducing pollution of waterways/noise/air/light by:
- Using only biodegradable or non-toxic cleaning products
- Washing our vehicles on grass, so cleaning products don’t enter drains
- Having our vehicles regularly tuned and maintained to help reduce carbon emissions
- Measuring our carbon emissions and offsetting where we can’t reduce
- Not running our vehicles whilst waiting for passengers
- Purchasing locally, which helps reduce carbon emissions from transportation
- Training in emission-reducing techniques – including energy efficiency practices such as reducing vehicle use, maintaining vehicles regularly and buying locally
- Ensuring all printed material and products are sustainably sourced where possible
Our Pledge
Our sustainability will be an ongoing journey, which will improve with time and experience. In order to achieve, this we pledge the following:
- To think before we buy – informed buying decisions can help us reduce the amount of raw materials used in manufactured goods, eliminate air and land pollution, cut waste volumes, support local businesses and encourage good employment practices here and overseas. This can also help stop the destruction of valuable native forests and natural habitats around the world.
- To think before we use – efficient use of energy, water, office products, fuel and other resources we use to ensure our business reduces our environmental impact.
- To think before we discard – recycling and composting as much waste as possible can help reduce air and land pollution, and reduce the amount going into landfills.
- To protect wildlife and natural habitats – grounds are maintained in an environmentally sensitive way, which helps ensure native trees, insects and birds thrive, and that run-off from our property does not pollute streams or drain into the sea.
- To educate and grow – happy, well informed staff are a crucial asset to our business success and the tourist experience. Our business will train them, make clients aware of what we’re doing and inform them how they can actively participate in helping our environmental sustainability.
- To commit to legal compliance – our business ensures compliance with relevant environmental legislation and regulations, and other requirements to which we subscribe.
We also pledge to apply the following principles across all aspects of our business:
- Avoid polluting land, air and water
- Avoid depleting natural, non-renewable resources
- Avoid destroying habitat
- Treat staff, suppliers and customers/guests fairly and with respect
"Take only photos...Leave only footprints"