Our Commitment to Sustainability
Waikite Valley Hot Pools is dedicated to utilising and continuing to develop environmentally friendly practices in order to minimize our environmental footprint. This policy outlines the ways in which we achieve this.
Gravity feed water systems where possible.
Biodegradable environmentally friendly products used where possible. These include rubbish bags, paper cups, EnviroTech multipurpose cleaners and sanitizer, toilet rolls and printing paper.
We recycle all glass, tin, plastic and cardboard and encourage our visitors to do the same.
We use a skip instead of a rubbish hole or burning it
Sand filtration beds used in the septic system
As lighting requires replacement LED lights are being installed. Lights are on sensors and daylight switches.
Drying rooms heated by geothermal water is both provided for Campers and business use.
Internal heating provided by Radiator heaters which utilise geothermal water to heat.
Energy efficiency is a key determinant in all equipment purchases.
Waikite Valley Hot Pools is a founding member and continues to be a member of the Sustainable Tourism Charter.
Conservation Credits
Waikite Valley Hot Pools is proud to be a foundation partner to Conservation Credits. Conservation credits is a by business for business initiative to support ecologically significant conservation projects in our region. It works with significant projects with time limited specific objectives that need financial support. We choose biodiversity bank to improve our knowledge of biodiversity and Kaharoa Kokako Trust to support a long-standing organisation doing amazing work with one of Aotearoa's tanga species.
We are taking our regenerative responsibilities further by engaging Wildland consultants to put together a restoration plan for our geothermal areas. These areas contain numerous threatened species such as Christella ferns, native orchards, and Prostrate Kanuka that are unique to the Central plateau. This project will be undertaken over the next 3-5 years.
Native Planting
We’ve been busy clearing weeds, blackberry and broom from our entrance way and eco-trail, and infill planting with natives. We work with local business WaiNot Natives - Nursery. Not only does this support another local business, but they also have a sustainability orientation, and have invested in a new system to remove plastic pots, trays and bags from their process. They grow the natives in paper Ellebags, and we plant them in the bag. The bags are degradable and are great for the root structure of the plants.
Waikite Valley Wetland Reserve
The Waikite Valley Hot Pools team spent a day volunteering with the Department of Conservation at the Waikite Valley Wetland Reserve.
The team helped to monitor/count rare and endangered ferns (Cristella, Cyclosorus and Nephrolepis) in the reserve.These ferns are found only in geothermal areas in and around the Rotorua/Taupō volcanic zone and we are lucky here in Waikite since the formation of the Wetland area in 2006 to have quite a thriving population of not only rare ferns but a number of water fowl including the Kotata (Fernbird) Riro Riro (Grey Warbler) and Pied Stilt.
Pest Trapping
An important aspect of our conservation plan is controlling the pests that threaten our native animals and plan species around the area. With the help and guidance from a local expert, we humanely trap an average of 100 wild mice, rats and stoats annually.
