It's no secret, the success of New Zealand tourism lies in the beauty of our landscapes. We are committed to doing what we can to keep it that way. It's that commitment to responsible and sustainable tourism that earned us the Qualmark Enviro Gold Award, the highest environmental award available to a tourism business, and put us in the company of an elite few motorhome rental operators. In order to achieve the Qualmark Enviro Gold Award, we had to back our commitment to environmental and social responsibility with action in areas such as energy efficiency, waste management, conservation, and community activities.
However, OUR commitment to the environment means little without YOUR support. That's why we have developed the Wilderness Environmental Care Code. It outlines the actions we are taking to minimise our impact on the environment and provides a guide for our customers to do their part as well. It’s a two way partnership between you the Traveller us and the Operator.
The Wilderness Environmental Care Code (ECC)
Your part
Dispose of waste responsibly – Only use approved dump stations for disposing of grey water and toilet waste (see dump station guide in your campervan touring atlas). Remove all rubbish when you leave a camp site. Place in litter bins and paper, glass, cans, and plastic in recycling bins where provided.
Camp only where permitted – Observe local camping rules. Check the wild camping guide before planning your overnight stay.
Take extreme care with fire - Always observe and obey fire restrictions. When cooking outdoors, only use a barbeque or built-in fireplace provided.
Protect plants and animals – New Zealand is home to countless unique, rare, and endangered species. When bush walking, always keep to the track. Follow instructions if you are asked to clean your footwear, fishing or other gear to reduce the spread of plant and animal diseases. Don’t destroy trees for firewood.
Plant more trees – You can offset the carbon emitted on your New Zealand road trip by contributing to our Carbon Offset Programme (see below). Our partner organisation will plant trees which will absorb carbon reducing the impact your trip has on our environment.
Our part
Provide low emission vehicles – All our vehicles meet Euro IV emission standards, the highest in the automotive industry.
Provide certified self-contained vehicles - All our vehicles are fitted with wastewater tanks and either a fixed or portable toilet allowing you to dispose of unsanitary waste products correctly. They also comply with New Zealand's strict self-containment standards (NZS 5465:200).
Maintain our vehicles - All vehicles are maintained to the highest standard and tuned correctly to minimise harmful emissions.
Clean and green base operations - Our base operations are also carried out efficiently and with minimal waste. For example, we use energy efficient equipment and power saving techniques to reduce our power demand, recycle all recyclable materials, and use environmentally friendly cleaning products to reduce the impact on the environment.
Carbon 4 Good Programme
Most forms of modern travel have an impact on the environment through carbon emissions. So we have teamed up with the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) to integrate their Carbon 4 Good programme into our client offerings. The Greenfleet Carbon 4 Good Programme funds community group plantings of native trees that will remove carbon from the atmosphere. We encourage hirers to offset carbon emissions they generate during their New Zealand road trip.
On average each hire emits about 30kg of carbon into the atmosphere. Three native trees need to be planted to offset this. For just NZ$1/day, our clients can help purchase these native trees. Volunteers will then plant the trees at one of many reforestation programmes around New Zealand.