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Tourism businesses in the Bay of Plenty have one more opportunity to take part in a free 12-week programme to steer their organisation towards a more regenerative future – but they will need to act quickly as registrations close soon.
The Green Room | Te Rūma Kākāriki, run by Tourism Bay of Plenty, has already seen 84 businesses pass through the free programme, and TBOP head of strategy and insights Richard Faire says many have seen ongoing benefits to their business.
“Most of the organisations that have graduated are now confidently measuring and reducing their carbon footprints, and some are also offsetting their carbon.
“Many have reduced their waste, they’ve reviewed their supply chains to ensure they’re sustainable, and some are finding clever ways to reuse outdated or unwanted equipment – for example, old wetsuits are being repurposed to stuff boxing bags.
“These organisations are embedding sustainable practices into their everyday operations,” he says.
“They’re also proactively sharing the Tiaki Promise and waste reduction choices with their customers to encourage them to behave in an environmentally responsible way while they’re travelling.
“There’s a strong emphasis on the importance of reviewing business plans and processes, which has been helping participating organisations to be more resilient. A great example is Waihī Beach Paradise Resort, which has since earned a Qualmark Gold Sustainable Business Award.
“The Green Room programme also ensures that participants understand the importance of making a meaningful contribution and regularly engaging with their local community. This in turn enhances their social license to operate.
“As an example, the connections that were made during one of the 12-week cohorts accelerated the launch of Sustainable Waihī Beach, which is working hard to reduce single-use plastic and eliminate pests as it strives to become the most sustainable seaside town in New Zealand.”
One business to have completed the programme is Pippa Coombes, from Surf Shack in Waihī Beach.
Pippa says participating in The Green Room helped the business identify areas where they could take their sustainability journey to the next level.
“We, as a business, have put much emphasis on the sustainability arena. We thought we had covered off quite a few areas within the business, including becoming carbon neutral.
“This programme, however, took us further on our sustainable journey, with the goals set in line with the New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment. It consisted of on-site visits
from a field of internationally focused NZ experts, online webinars, and we had a customised action plan to help us gain more knowledge, skills and further confidence to actively pursue zero carbon and regenerative goals.”
She says BOP tourism businesses that haven’t yet taken hold of this free programme should do so – and quickly, with the next intake starting just after Easter.
“The Green Room is a must; it’s an amazing journey which you share with other businesses, the networking is incredible as everybody has different business models and we all think slightly differently – you learn so much from each other!
“This programme is aligned to our local goals but also looks at national goals to continue to build tourism into our industry, which adds so much vibrancy to our community while having a huge sustainable and regenerative impact,” she says.
Richard says businesses interested in taking part in The Green Room should act fast – registrations are open now, with the next intake starting in a few weeks’ time. It’s the seventh and final programme offering that’s been scheduled, as Tourism Bay of Plenty is actively pursuing further funding to keep the programme going.
“Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana kindly agreed to provide funding to enable 100 visitor sector organisations to complete The Green Room between May 2022 and the end of June this year. This funding has been covering all costs, which is why visitor sector businesses have been able to complete it for free.
“Ideally, given how successful the programme has been, we’d like to continue to run further cohorts, but we will need to secure further funding to do this,” he says.
“Tourism Bay of Plenty has set up a Facebook group which every participant in The Green Room can join. This is a space where all members can share resources, tips and tricks, wins, and other relevant information. It encourages participants to continue the sustainability journey well after the 12-week programme ends, as they continue to learn and gain inspiration from each other.
“We’d like to provide additional support to maintain, and even increase, the sustainability efforts and momentum that The Green Room graduates have been focusing on. Sustainability requires long-term commitment – there is no quick fix.”
“The primary aim of The Green Room is to steer visitor sector businesses towards a regenerative future. It equips participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to become more sustainable. It’s a customised and holistic programme which is based on the New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment and it covers economic, visitor, community, and environmental sustainability.
“Each participant completes a self-assessment survey and undergoes a two-hour site visit, and this information is then used to create a targeted action plan for their organisation. These plans focus on carbon reduction, waste reduction, nature restoration, community
engagement, being a good employer, resilience, culture and heritage, and visitor/customer satisfaction etc.
“Our programme delivery partner, Tourism Industry Aotearoa, then helps each organisation to identify the top priorities within their customised plan and provides specialist support throughout the 12-week programme to assist participants to action those priorities. They usually only need to invest one hour a week to achieve these.”
Tourism Industry Aotearoa CEO Rebecca Ingram says The Green Room programme is the “largest of its kind” in the country.
“It has been a pleasure to work with so many passionate tourism operators and experience the impact of their combined actions. The Green Room project in the Bay of Plenty demonstrates the good which tourism can bring to their local communities and environment. It is admirable that tourism operators are focussing on sustainability after some very tough years.
“Many have achieved some significant quick wins, but the work will be ongoing for years to come as they strive towards their long-term goals.”
To sign up for The Green Room, or for more information, email Richard at: [email protected]
