Sustainability

our JOURNEY SO FAR

CONTINUING KAITIAKITANGA (GUARDIANSHIP)

The beating heart of our environment once you reach the Lodge is our wetland.
Regenerating the Awaroa wetland started in 2005 and continues to flourish and develop. For more background on the history of Awaroa Lodge click here.

We are committed to kaitiakitanga and endeavour to uphold the Tiaki Promise through these initiatives.

Today, the wetland is home to an array of native wildlife including Pateke, released in 2019 and 2020 in conjunction with Project Janszoon and the Department of Conservation. Read more about this here.

Since 2020 we have seen regular visits from travelling Kotuku, White Heron. The wetlands are also home to a resident population of tame eels - a delight for the younger visitors!

Scenic Abel Tasman coastline with clear turquoise water, sandy beach, and lush green hills under a blue sky.

AWAROA BEACH, THE PEOPLE’S BEACH

Awaroa beach has become known as ‘The People’s Beach’ having been purchased by a crowd-funding campaign for the enjoyment of all New Zealanders (read about it here) and to prevent it falling into private hands.

This stretch of sand is one of our favourite places to hang out and is the ‘welcome mat’ for our guests disembarking their water taxi before they walk up to the Lodge, which means that everyday is beach clean-up day at Awaroa.

This expression of manaakitanga (generosity and mutual support) is one example of our mutual commitment to upholding the Tiaki Promise. Read on for more…

Misty wetlands with lush native grasses and forested hills at dawn in Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand.

WORKING TO REDUCE OUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION & OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

Awaroa Lodge is located within 20 hectares of regenerating native bush, which encompasses a large wetland so powering the site is not as easy as plugging into the national grid.

Currently most of our power for the site is generated on site via diesel generators and we are constantly investigating better ways of making this happen. In a recent change, in 2023 and 2024 we moved our diesel generation to smaller more efficient machines, creating a saving of just over 10% in our fuel consumption. We have also moved our winter power supply to be almost fully solar based, saving some 3000L of fuel each year.

We are also working on as many other energy conserving solutions as we can:

    • We have replaced all fridge units with low energy products.

    • We are installing LED lighting to replace old lights as they fail.

    • We have a ‘switch it off if it’s not being used’ policy with lights and electrical equipment in our staff quarters and on site during the winter period.

    • Our staff live on site so do not have to take transport to travel to work each day and many of our customers arrive on foot.

    It is important to us to acknowledge that we are using diesel for the majority of our current power generation due to lack of a genuinely workable and sustainable solution so far. This does not mean however that we are not continually seeking ways to change this.

    We continue to seek to move toward a zero-carbon footprint and toward increasing the use of options such as solar generation.

Couple enjoying drinks on outdoor deck with scenic forested hills in the background at a New Zealand lodge.

SUPPORTING LOCAL

Buying local and growing our own, are both major steps in reducing waste. There is a lot of change happening in production of goods within New Zealand and with a move toward sustainability and waste reduction.

We aim to support producers with those principals at their heart. We support local. Buying where possible from local producers and giving back financially to the community where we can.

  • Examples of some of the local producers that we work with are:

    • Chia Sisters – Nelson based producers of soft drinks, proudly solar powered and zero carbon.

    • Hop Federation brewery

    • Our wine list is almost entirely local and 100% New Zealand based.

    • We source cheese, ice cream, chocolate, chips and peanut butter from the top of the south.

    • We have Tasman artist Darryl Frost’s amazing sinkers available for sale along with various other local crafts.

SUSTAINABLE CLEANING & PERSONAL CARE

At Awaroa Lodge – when it comes to balancing health and hygiene with caring for our planet, we take the responsibility very seriously. So we’re committed to using ecostore’s gentle, eco-friendly personal care in guest rooms and effective cleaning products throughout the Lodge. Ecostore has an impressive list of eco credentials, but those that stand out to us are:

Ecostore Sandalwood & Amber body wash and Peony & Guava hand wash bottles displayed on wooden bath tray with natural sponge and green leaves.

    • Plant and mineral based products formulated using the precautionary principle – if there’s any doubt about an ingredient’s safety, ecostore will look for another one.

    • They’re made in New Zealand at ecostore’s own carboNZero factory, to stringent safety and sustainability standards.

    • Products are suitable for grey water and septic tank systems – and we’re extremely careful about what goes down the drain.

    • Ecostore is a B Corp™, so we know they’re truly committed to using their business to make the world a better place.

    • We can even return the sugar and recycled plastic mix bottles when they’re empty, and ecostore will remake them into new ones.