Environmental Policies
Lake Wanaka Cruises - Environmental Policy
We constantly emphasise our goal of business leadership. We recognise this means assessing and adjusting our business and operational practices across the board. Our operating environment and that of our customers is under constant change and development in a host of areas. Environmental responsibility is an important and growing area of attention. It's certainly an area of importance to us. Put simply, Lake Wanaka Cruises is committed to minimising the impact of our activities on the environment. It's another aspect of leadership and a key one.
Lake Wanaka Cruises is committed to actively working to achieve the following:
- Actively participating in discussion and planning for improvement of Lake Wanaka water quality.
- Preventing environmental incidents related to its activities (including that created by subcontractors).
- Complying with all applicable NZ Health, Safety and Environmental legislation.
- Ensuring that our suppliers take reasonable steps to minimise their environmental impacts
We will achieve our goal by constant focus on, and renewal of, our policy to ensure that we are:
- Minimising waste by evaluating operations and ensuring they are as efficient as possible.
- Minimising emissions through maintenance and upgrades and efficient operation of boats and vessels.
- Preventing pollution to Lake Wanaka or its shorelines.
- Actively promoting recycling both internally and among our customers and suppliers.
- Promoting environmental responsibility among our employees and encouraging their input.
A review of our policy and the setting of environmental objectives and targets will occur annually and continually drive our desire for improvement.
Tim Cuthbertson
Managing Director
Examples of Environmental Initiatives
Words set us on an appropriate road. Actions carry us forward.
Among our environmentally-focused activities, Lake Wanaka Cruises runs comprehensive electronic systems from booking to payment to enable, as far as is practically possible, a virtual and paperless office.
As a matter of course, Lake Wanaka Cruises recycles all waste oils, paper, plastics and glass.
Strict plans are in place for refuelling of our boats in a manner which prevents potential spillage of fuel onto the lake.
Constant maintnenace of engines, gearboxes, shafts, rudders, propellers and bilge systems of our vessels to improve fuel efficiency, eliminate oil leakages and isolate bilge water from the external environment.
On the islands and beaches we visit around Lake Wanaka, our staff actively clean up rubbish left behind by other visitors. This is usually in the form of bottles, cans and plastic bags which are brought aboard and recycled through our usual systems.
We also assist the efforts of the Department of Conservation by removing introduced pest plant species from the islands. To date we have removed Gorse from Mou Waho Island and Lupins and Broom from Stevensons Island.
The water of Lake Wanaka is a valuable environmental resource and the most important natural asset in the Wanaka region. As a business we rely on it to float in, residents rely on it to drink and visitors travel from around the globe to witness its beauty. However, it is a resource in a fragile balance and in recent years the lake has started to show signs of pressure. Several community organisations have been formed to study and conserve the lake values. Lake Wanaka Cruises has chosen to support the Million Meters - Love Lake Wanaka project both financially and through the use of our vessels and crew. For details and to support this very worthy environmental initiative lease visit https://millionmetres.org.nz/open-project/love-lake-wanaka
Since January 2018 we have requested all suppliers to present administration paperwork in electronic form. The elimination of paper invoices and statements that are mailed to us require significant resources starting from trees, pulp, paper to printing, envelope insertion and finally freight and delivery by hand. These resources are easily replaced by simple, current PDF and email technology.
As of September 2023 we have become the first Carbon Positive tourism operator in the Wanaka region. Auditing and certification was provided by Carbon Positive Ltd. Our emissions have been offset by 125% through planting of NZ native forest that is protected forever. This is our small contribution to leaving a better NZ for generations to come.
We are resolute in identifying, and acting on, further areas of environmental benefit.