The Landing has won Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s 2022 Conservation Award, in recognition of two decades of kaitiakitanga of a heritage site in the Bay of Islands.
The Department of Conservation – Conservation Award acknowledges an environmentally sustainable tourism business that embraces kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and protection of the natural, built and cultural resources for the benefit of current and future generations.
The annual New Zealand Tourism Awards celebrate individual and business success within the New Zealand Tourism Industry. They are hosted by Tourism Industry Aotearoa in association with key industry partners and provide a benchmark for industry excellence.
“We are delighted to see the work of The Landing team and many others recognised,” says Garth Solly, Director of Hospitality. “The Landing is a special place and we take great pride and care in being the custodians of its landscape, history and wildlife.
“Our sustainability practices are key to protecting and preserving The Landing’s unique qualities and community, for the past 20 years and far into the future.
The Landing is a Bay of Islands coastal property offering high-end guest accommodation in four residences, alongside a sustainable vineyard, winery and tasting room that is open to the public.
It was founded in 1999 with the intention of preserving, restoring and developing a unique piece of land with significant historical, cultural and environmental value in the Bay of Islands into a place where local and international visitors can enjoy the best of New Zealand.
The Landing’s appeal and value rests on the natural beauty and biodiversity of its landscape, as well as its history as the place where New Zealand’s two cultures – European and Māori – first lived and traded together.
“A long-term reforestation project has resulted in more than 1.25 million native trees being planted at The Landing, with the forested portions of the property currently absorbing 565t carbon every year, making The Landing completely carbon-zero, ” says Solly.
“An additional 15,000 native trees have been given away in Auckland over the last three years, to be planted in suburban backyards. Through the tree giveaways, more than $18,500 has also been raised in donations, distributed between the Motutapu Island Trust and the Native Forest Restoration Trust.
“At The Landing, our land is our heritage and our future. Caring for our landscape through sustainable practices and honouring our cultural history are two of our guiding principles.”
