On the Path to a Sustainable Future
White Island Tours is aiming to achieve sustainability across all aspects of the business with particular emphasis on minimising the impact on the environment, educating customers, supporting the local business community and developing employees while at the same time growing customer numbers and achieving financial health (see Appendix I for our Responsible Tourism Statement).
As part of this drive towards sustainability, the company participates in a range of programmes that are improving its economic, social and environmental performance.
Qualmark
Qualmark is New Zealand Tourism's official quality mark. It provides international and domestic visitors with a means of identifying professional and trustworthy New Zealand tourism businesses. (see Appendix III)
Two of the company’s operations have a Qualmark endorsement – the motel since 2002 and the tour operation since 2004. The assessment process covers a range of criteria such as Customer Service, Facilities and Equipment, Staff, Cultural Responsibilities and General Business Practices. Assessments are conducted every two years.
Qualmark Responsible Tourism
In 2008, Qualmark introduced a means of recognising sustainability in the form of Responsible Tourism Awards (gold, silver, bronze).
All businesses that have a Qualmark can opt to be assessed on their environmental performance. Businesses are assessed for initiatives in energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, conservation and community activities.
White Island Tours is proud to have achieved GOLD for both our tour and motel.
Sustainable Tourism Charter
We are a foundation member of the Bay of Plenty Sustainable Tourism project funded by the New Zealand government (see Appendix II). The project aims to assist tourism businesses reap the benefits of incorporating smart sustainable business practices into their operations. This means ensuring that we are all doing everything possible to protect and enhance the social, cultural, economic, and natural environments that make up the tourism industry.
As part of the project, the company has undergone an on-site sustainability assessment (June 2006), which identified 132 opportunities for improvement. Based on this, we developed an action plan or Charter to implement improvements. This has now been incorporated into our Qualmark Responsible Tourism Action Plan and we are currently working on approximately the last 32 items.
NZ Tourism Industry Award
In 2007 White Island Tours won the Green Globe Environmental Award at the NZ Tourism Industry Awards
Operating the Boats
Bin Liners and Motion Sickness Bags
The boats now carry biodegradable bin liners and biodegradable motion sickness bags.
Boarding Passes
Did you wonder what the unusual boarding passes are and why we use them? They are separator discs, previously part of milking machines on dairy farms, used to separate cream from milk. They are an alternative to the more conventional paper boarding passes so that we can re-use them day after day and save paper.
Cleaning the Boats
94% of the cleaning products used on the boats are biodegradable or eco-labelled. A hose hand gun greatly reduces the amount of water we use to wash the boats.
Fuel Consumption
Our boats are run in a way that helps conserve diesel (1) Cruising speeds are maintained at a steady 18-20 knots (2) Boats are supplied daily (nothing is stored) to reduce weight (3) Boats are on strict maintenance schedules to ensure efficient running at all times.
Lunch Boxes
Our current lunch box is a C-fine polystyrene pack, which is not biodegradable although it is manufactured from a gaseous by-product of the oil refining process that would otherwise be flared off into the atmosphere and wasted, contributing to CO² emissions. It is recyclable but there are currently no local facilities for recycling such a product. We are trying to find an alternative and so far have trialled (1) An opaque biodegradable “PSM” pack which got excellent feedback from customers but is not in production (2) A transparent corn-based “PLA” lunchbox that’s 100% biodegradable and made with 50% less fossil fuels and 40% less greenhouse gas emissions than the current C-fine pack. Unfortunately there are design problems so we’re talking with the manufacturer.
Marine Life
Our tours involve incidental encounters with marine life. The skippers comply fully with marine mammal viewing regulations to ensure marine life is not disturbed. The company has a Marine Mammal Viewing Permit (see Appendix IV). We work closely with the Department of Conservation to reduce risk to marine life. It routinely provides information on whales and dolphins to ensure their well being.
Oil and Fuel
Handling - Oil changes are conducted by skippers according to set procedures that ensure used oil is appropriately handled. Other potentially harmful substances are segregated and stored in accordance with local regulations. MSDS data sheets are held on the boats.
Emergency Spills - In the event of a vessel grounding or holing, all valves are shut down to contain potential leaks (as per Safe Ship management practices). If a spill does occur, the crew will act in accord with the Environmental Emergency Contingency Plan (see Appendix V).
Spills from Routine Operations - (1) If a spill occurs during fuelling, the crew has fuel spill procedures to follow. Our fuel and oil supplier has a spill kit to ensure any fuel spilled into the river is immediately contained. (2) Used oil is pumped into containers and returned to our fuel and oil supplier for recycling.
Recycling
We separate and recycle as much as we can throughout our operation. All cardboard, paper, glass, cans and plastic water bottles are recycled. Our food scraps are thrown into a “pig bucket” which is taken away by a local pig farmer. We are proud that we have managed to reduce our waste to one rubbish bag per day.
Sewage Discharge
Untreated sewage discharge complies with the Resource Management Act (Marine Pollution) Regulations. The skipper monitors the black water levels in the holding tanks. A designated member of the crew has responsibility for turning the discharge valves on and off. In addition, the company is looking at (1) the treatment of sewage prior to release from vessels (2) advocating for local pump-out facilities so waste can be emptied (from the vessel’s sewage holding tanks) on shore for treatment.
Polystyrene Cups
Polystyrene cups are currently used to supply passengers with soup and hot drinks. These are used instead of paper cups because a paper cup consumes: more than twice its weight in wood; 15 times more chemicals; 6 times as much steam; 13 times more electricity; 30% more cooling water; 170 times more process water. Polystyrene cups are also used instead of crockery cups because Food & Hygiene laws prevent us from using crockery cups (need a sterilizer on board etc). We will continue to search for a better alternative to the polystyrene cups.
Protecting the Island
White Island was designated a private scenic reserve in the 1950s. The owners of White Island Tours, Peter & Jenny Tait, were appointed "guardians" of the island by its owners in 1997. It is a role that all of us at White Island Tours take very seriously, striving to ensure minimal impact on the environment in which we operate.
Restricted Access
Landing access is restricted to four tourist operators - White Island Tours and three helicopter companies.
Regular meetings are held with these operators to help preserve the island.
Anchoring the Boats
Anchoring the boats is carried out in a way that does not damage the sea floor. We anchor in sand when the wind is from the south and in a rockier area (which holds the anchor without rock breaking away) when the wind is from the north.
No Construction
We continue to resist pressure to build toilets or other facilities on the island. The only man-made structures on the island are the remains from sulphur-mining days and scientific monitoring equipment.
No Overnight Stays
As guardians, we do not permit any overnight stays on the island.
No Litter
Our policy is that nothing is to be taken off, nor left on the island, and our guides strictly enforce this. Ongoing marine litter collections (litter washed up on the beach) are undertaken by the crew.
Single Trails
We always adhere to a single trail on the island. After each period of rain our guides make a new trail and follow this path each day until the next rain or ash fall washes it away. We try not to take visitors to the island when it is raining so as to prevent damage to the soft surface. However, if any water trails are formed after rain, our guides will lead visitors through these so that their footprints soon wash away.
Back on the Mainland
We continue to make improvements to all aspects of our land operation.
Motel and Cafe
We separate and recycle as much as we can. All cardboard, paper, glass, cans and plastic water bottles are recycled. Some of our food scraps are thrown into a “pig bucket” which is taken away by a local pig farmer. The rest of the scraps, as well as shredded paper, are taken by the owners of White Island Tours to feed their chickens and worms or to compost down. The used coffee grounds are bagged up and provided to customers free of charge as they have a number of uses around the home and garden. By providing recycling bins in our motel units, guests are encouraged to support us in our recycling efforts.
We strive to buy recycled products. Examples are our toilet paper and paper towels which are the ECNZ (Environmental Choice NZ) accredited Tork products. Wherever possible, we use suppliers who show a commitment to the environment. For example, the toiletries in our motel units are supplied by Health Pak Guest Amenities whose environmental practices include NZ-made products which are biodegradable. Our motel linen and towels are supplied and laundered by NZ Towel Service who filter their laundry water before discharging it back into the environment.
Administration Offices
We use environmentally preferable office paper for administrative activity and reuse this paper wherever we can. For example, internal office documents are printed on the back of office paper already printed on one side. Our email signature includes a reminder to consider the environment before printing. Our printer cartridges are collected and sent to the Cystic Fibrosis Association. The proceeds from recycling the cartridges assist with their fundraising efforts.
We have also adopted sustainable publishing practices when producing new pamphlets, brochures and compendiums. This means determining the most efficient distribution, selecting 'sustainable' paper and creating products which can be recycled.
Gift Shop
A number of locally produced goods have been sourced and are being sold through the gift shop. Goods include: Natural health remedies - Just Herbal (Whakatane); Manuka honey - Whakaari International Ltd (East Cape); Bone carvings and greenstone - Manaia Crafts (Opotiki); Volcanic rock cards - Wynn Ackerman (Tauranga); Moutohora Olive Oil - Kanuka Forest Wines Ltd (Thornton).
We choose biodegradable bags for packaging gift shop purchases and always ask customers whether they would like a bag, rather than automatically providing them with one.
Pollution Prevention
We try to reduce our use of toxic substances. Nearly all of our cleaning products are supplied by Ecolab, whose products are "environmentally preferable" in regards to chemistry, packaging, dispensing controls and training. Our staff know to be careful to discard everything down the sewer drains, rather than the stormwater drains. One initiative has been to coat the shower glass in our motel units with a protective substance so that they only need to be cleaned with a dry towel.
Energy & Water Efficiency
We have a formalised Energy Management Policy and Water Management Policy in place and our efforts to increase energy & water efficiency include: regular surveys of our refrigeration, heating and airconditioning systems (fridges every 6 months and heating/airconditioning on an annual basis); buying energy-efficient appliances as we come to replace old ones; using energy-efficient light bulbs as we come to replace old ones; quarterly flushing of our greasetrap; dual-flush toilets; a linen policy encouraging guests the choice of reduced laundering; encouraging staff to be energy-efficient in their practices eg: switching off lights, switching off equipment at the wall after use, using only cold laundry washes.
Local Employment
White Island Tours is proud of its record of employing locally. Our staff numbers reach 50 during the summer months and none of them live outside the Whakatane district.
Sharing our Mission and Vision with Staff & Customers and Suppliers
We realise we can’t achieve our goals without "buy in" from our staff, customers and suppliers so we strive to involve them in, keep them informed of and educate them on our environmental practices. We have comprehensive orientation and induction practices, which include information on our environmental procedures; we include an environmental section in our weekly newsletter to staff which provides information and gives tips or reminders on helping preserve the environment; we appoint staff to take on various environmental projects, such as putting together applications for environmental awards like Qualmark Green; and we have appointed an environmental champion to make sure all of us keep up environmental standards and walk the talk.
Leanne - our Environmental Champion
Our website contains an environmental section and copies of our Eco-Tourism folder are placed on each of our boats. We also produce a free newspaper, which is distributed world-wide, and contains a section on what we do as a business to contribute to sustainable tourism. If you are a guest at White Island Rendezvous, we also seek your support. Our motel compendium provides information on some of the things the company is doing for the environment and encourages you to (1) recycle your waste (2) request less laundering (3) use drying racks (4) report leaks and (5) turn off power.
We are striving to make our suppliers aware of our commitment to the environment and are meeting with some success in this area. Several of our main suppliers, eg: Jascoes, know our environmental policy and make a determined effort to source environmentally-friendly products for us.
Try Our Natural Products
While here in the Bay of Plenty you have the opportunity to try a range of natural products from our region. Here’s a little background information:
Manuka Honey
For centuries two Maori tribes - Ngati Porou (Eastern coast) and Te Whanau-a-Apanui (Bay of Plenty coast) have lived side by side. Behind them are the Raukamara ranges, covered in manuka trees. Members of the two tribes have now banded together to harvest manuka honey from the trees - a product with unique antibiotic characteristics. When honey is diluted, a special enzyme added by bees produces hydrogen peroxide, a well-known antibiotic. With manuka honey, University of Waikato scientists have identified additional antibiotic activity thanks to a substance called UMF®, Unique Manuka Factor. The finding confirms what tribal ancestors have known over the ages - that our local manuka honey is a superior treatment for wound infections.
Otakiri Springs Mineral Water
Our mineral water on the boats is from the Otakiri aquifer in the Bay of Plenty, which belongs to a deep system. A bore taps into it at 222 metres. The "natural" taste and clarity of the water is reflected by the low natural mineral content (130ppm) and the type of ground material the water has been naturally filtered through over the past 50 years (as confirmed by isotope studies). The pattern and magnitude of concentration of elements is consistent, based on samplings taken since 1896 and has no seasonal fluctuations. The density of human population in the recharge area to the aquifer is less than one person per square kilometre. No commercial or industrial activity takes place in the recharge area and no such activity is forecast for the future. Water analysis has been carried out by Cawthron Institute New Zealand Ltd (an independent analytical laboratory that has international accreditation) over the past 10 years confirming the water is consistently free from any microbiological contamination and the low mineral content of the water has remained stable. Bottled at the source, Otakiri Springs mineral water has also been analysed by an independent environmental scientist, Mr Brett O'Shaughnessy who describes it as probably the "deepest, highest quality groundwater in New Zealand".
The water is certified “organic” by Bio-Gro which is backed by IFOAM for international accreditation; it is also certified under Agri-quality with the “Advantage Approved Supplier Programme” for Food Safety.
Sulphur Soap
White Island belches out steam and ash, has boiling mud pools, roars, smells and is forever changing, but very importantly, it produces an abundance of the earth’s natural element, sulphur! For centuries, sulphur has been renowned for its excellent healing properties and benefits, and today it is still used for ailments such as athlete's foot, eczema, cuts and grazes, acne and thrush. Our very own sulphur soap, renowned for its excellent healing properties, is available at the White Island Gift Shop. The properties of sulphur, combined in this product, result in a very effective deep cleansing soap, which is also a great treatment for oily skin.
Appendices
APPENDIX I
Responsible Tourism Statement
Our business is committed to Responsible Tourism and accepts an ongoing responsibility to reduce environmental impact and contribute positively to the community. We see sustainability as an ongoing journey that will improve with time and experience. In order to achieve this we pledge the following:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 customers/guests aware of what we’re doing and inform them how they can actively participate in helping our environmental sustainability.
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To commit to legal compliance - our business ensures compliance with relevant environmental legislation and regulations, and other requirements to which we subscribe.
APPENDIX II
Sustainable Tourism Charter
The Bay of Plenty region is taking part in a $1.2 million Environmentally Sustainable Tourism project funded by the New Zealand Government. The project, a joint initiative of the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry for the Environment, aims to assist tourism businesses reap the benefits of incorporating smart sustainable business practices into their operations. This means ensuring that we are all doing everything possible to protect and enhance the social, cultural, economic, and natural environments that make up the tourism industry.
Ten pilot tourism businesses developed a Sustainable Tourism Charter in 2006. They have since become foundation members of the Bay of Plenty Sustainable Tourism Charter. Each of these businesses works with a sustainability assessor to improve their business practices in alignment with the Charter principles. A thorough assessment of each operator’s current sustainability performance is undertaken and action plans are developed and implemented over a three-year period. Ongoing support and resources are provided over this period to ensure operators progress sustainability initiatives within their capability.
Additional tourism businesses are now joining the project and they are required to commit to the principles of the Charter. For further information visit the Tourism Bay of Plenty website: www.bayofplentynz.co.nz
Foundation Businesses New Businesses
Ambassador Motor Inn Waihi Beach Top 10
Valley Outdoor Centre Colonial Court Motor Inn
Hesford House B & B Aerius Helicopters
Waimarino Adventure Park Harbourside City Backpackers
Comvita NZ Ltd Roselands Motel
Papamoa Beach Top 10 Holiday Resort Quest Apartments
Katikati Bird Gardens Sebel Trinity Wharf
Kiwi 360 Adventure Aviation
Dolphin Seafaris Bell Lodge Motel & Backpackers
White Island Tours Bethlehem Motor Inn
APPENDIX III
Qualmark
Qualmark New Zealand Limited is New Zealand tourism's official quality agency. It is a government - private sector partnership between Tourism New Zealand and New Zealand Automobile Association, run on a not-for-profit basis.
Qualmark licenses professional and trustworthy New Zealand tourism businesses to use Qualmark® - tourism's official quality mark - to help international and domestic travellers select places to stay, things to do and ways to get around. A key role is to enhance New Zealand's reputation as a world class visitor destination.
Qualmark's core activities are based around determining the eligibility of businesses to enter the licensing system. It does this by way of assessment; promoting and working with licensees; and working closely with other organisations and sectors within the tourism industry. Assessments are conducted by Qualmark's own assessment team. For further information visit the Qualmark website: www.qualmark.co.nz
APPENDIX IV
Marine Mammal Viewing Permit
- The permittee and the master/s of the vessel are to approach no more than 50 metres to the shore where seals are known to be present.
- No touching or handling of marine mammals is permitted.
- Persons shall use their best endeavours to operate vessels so as not to disrupt the normal movement or behaviour of any marine mammal.
- Contact with any marine mammal shall be abandoned at any stage if it becomes or shows signs of becoming disturbed or alarmed.
- No person shall cause any marine mammal to be separated from a group of marine mammals or cause any members of such a group to be scattered.
- No rubbish or food shall be thrown near or around any marine mammal.
- No sudden or repeated change in the speed or direction of any vessel shall be made except in the case of emergency.
- Where a vessel stops to enable the passengers to watch any marine mammal, the engines shall either be placed in neutral or be switched off within a minute of the vessel stopping.
- The permittee shall provide, upon request, reports to the Department of Conservation on all encounters with marine mammals, including the location and type of encounter, number, behaviour and any concerns regarding marine mammals.
- The permittee shall maintain, if requested, a register for the Department of Conservation detailing the time, date, duration, abundance and behaviour of marine mammals in the area of operation.
- The purpose of these regulations is to make provision for the protection, conservation and management of marine mammals. In particular, their purpose is to: regulate human contact or behaviour with marine mammals, either by commercial operators or other persons, in order to prevent adverse effects on and interference with marine mammals; prescribe appropriate behaviour by commercial operators and other persons seeking to come into contact with marine mammals.
APPENDIX V
Environmental Emergency Contingency Plan
- Report spill immediately to Environmental Bay of Plenty. (For off-shore spills report also to Maritime New Zealand on 04 914 8380 or TAUPO Maritime Radio ZLM.)
- Vessel operator should make all reasonable attempts to stop the discharge and prevent oil reaching the marine environment.
- Where possible oil should be contained and recovered from the water.
- Await action from regional council or Maritime New Zealand - they have spill response expertise and equipment, which will be activated as soon as a report of an oil spill is received.
