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Our Environmental Promise

It's no secret that the success of New Zealand tourism lies in the beauty of our landscapes, and the Wilderness team is dedicated to doing everything we can to keep it that way. That’s why we’ve committed to upholding the Tiaki Promise, which is our nation’s commitment to care for both people and place while enjoying the rich bounty that New Zealand has to offer, and we strongly encourage our guests to do the same.

Watch Tiaki Video

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Our commitment to responsible and sustainable tourism has earned us the Qualmark Gold Award. Being given this prestigious award is a testament to our pledge to deliver exceptional customer experiences through sustainable practices in order to maintain New Zealand’s status as a world-class tourism destination.
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Wilderness has been an impact investor since 2010, supporting New Zealand's longest standing sustainability organisation to make a meaningful difference in the areas of climate, waste, and nature. Together with like-minded businesses, we are working to ensure that people and nature prosper.
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The Wilderness Environmental Care Code (ECC)

Our commitment to the environment only works with your support. That's why we have developed the Wilderness Environmental Care Code, which outlines the actions we are taking to minimise our impact on the environment and helps guide our guests to do their part as well. It’s a two-way partnership between you, the Guest, and us, the Provider.

 

Your Part

icon-check-green-1DISPOSE OF WASTE RESPONSIBLY

Only use approved dump stations for disposing of grey water and toilet waste. Remove all rubbish when you leave a campsite, placing litter in bins and recyclables (paper, glass, aluminium cans, plastic, etc.) in recycling bins where provided.

icon-check-green-1CAMP ONLY WHERE PERMITTED

Observe local camping rules. Check our guide to responsible camping before planning your overnight stay.

icon-check-green-1TAKE EXTREME CARE WITH FIRE

Always obey fire restrictions. When cooking outdoors, only use a barbecue or the provided built-in fireplace.

icon-check-green-1PROTECT PLANTS AND ANIMALS

New Zealand is home to countless unique, rare, and endangered species. When bushwalking, always keep to the track, and comply if you are asked to clean your footwear, fishing equipment, or other gear to help reduce the spread of plant and animal diseases. Do not destroy trees for firewood. Be respectful and familiarise yourself with the local hiking etiquette.

icon-check-green-1PLANT MORE TREES

You can offset the carbon emitted on your New Zealand road trip by contributing to our Carbon Offset Programme. Our partner organisation will plant trees which will absorb carbon, reducing the impact your trip has on the environment.

Our Part

icon-check-green-1PROVIDE LOW-EMISSION VEHICLES

Our motorhomes meet the highest European emission standards for the automotive industry.

icon-check-green-1PROVIDE CERTIFIED SELF-CONTAINED MOTORHOMES

All our motorhomes are fitted with wastewater tanks and a fixed toilet in a separate room allowing you to dispose of unsanitary waste products correctly. They also comply with New Zealand's strict self-containment standards (NZS 5465:200).

icon-check-green-1MAINTAIN OUR MOTORHOMES

All vehicles are maintained to the highest standard and tuned correctly to minimise harmful emissions.

icon-check-green-1CLEAN AND GREEN BASE OPERATIONS

Our base operations are also carried out efficiently and with minimal waste. We use energy-efficient equipment and power saving techniques to reduce our power demand, recycle all recyclable materials, use environmentally friendly cleaning products, and more.

Million Metres Streams Project

Let's face it, most forms of modern travel have a negative impact on the environment, and motorhome travel is no exception. So we've teamed up with a local non-profit organisation to do something positive for our environment. The Million Metres Streams Project was set up to restore the health of New Zealand waterways by planting trees along the banks of the streams, which is also known as riparian planting. This planting technique is vital to the health of our freshwater ecosystems.

We invite our hirers to contribute to the Million Metres Streams Project. Your contributions help fund the trees planted by volunteer community groups across New Zealand. Wilderness will match every NZ$1 contributed by our hirers to the conservation project.

Our most recent donation to the Million Metres helped fund the Hoteo 1 project. The Hoteo River catchment drains into the Kaipara—the second-largest harbour in the world. With contributions from adventurers like you, we were able to help take action to protect and sustain this vital resource for future generations. If you are about to embark on your New Zealand adventure, you can help offset the carbon emissions by contributing to the MMS programme.

 

Find out more

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Project Island Song

Along with protecting our streams and waterways, Wilderness has played an active role in saving New Zealand's endangered native birds. Back in 2015, we teamed up with Project Island Song, a community conservation group committed to the ecological restoration of islands in the Bay of Islands. Together, we helped reintroduce the rare toutouwhai (North Island Robin) to the pest-free islands.

Wilderness has provided motorhomes to transport the toutouwhai from their breeding sanctuary in the Pureora Forest to their new home on the islands of Ipipiri. The project has taken the group one step closer to achieving its vision of "one day walking the islands of Ipipiri to the sounds that replicate the lovely birdsong of Tiritiri Matangi, to enjoy seeing our moko, the next generation, experience Aotearoa as it once was."

 

Find out more