Quality Assurance

COVID CLEAN

Zealandier Tours are proud to display the Qualmark logo and we always strive to be better than we have been before. We have been recognised as providing a high-quality experience, right up there with the best that New Zealand has to offer. If you book a tour with us, you can be assured that you will be getting a high-quality experience that is safe and sustainable. We have also completed the Qualmark Covid Clean assessment and been granted this certification, you can find out more here.

World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)

WTTC works together with members, governments, health experts, and other industry associations to achieve effective recovery protocols by developing meaningful action plans that optimise sector-wide recovery efforts.

The SafeTravels Stamp was created for travellers to recognise destinations and businesses around the world which have adopted the SafeTravels health and hygiene global standardised protocols., you can find out more here.

TIAKI

Tiaki means to care for people and place. The Tiaki Promise is a commitment to care for New Zealand. For now and for future generations.

NZTA VEHICLE TESTING CERTIFIED

NZ Transport Agency is a New Zealand governing body for all those involved in the transport industry. Their work spans everything from influencing development of the national transport system to promoting road safety, managing the state highway, and licensing drivers and vehicles. Our vehicles need to be certified in many ways by the New Zealand Transport Agency to be deemed safe to operate on the road. Each one requires a new Certificate of Fitness every 6 months to  qualify. Of course, this is a national standard that we must reach. However as responsible tour operators and transport drivers we are required to check over our vehicles every day that we use them to ensure everyone is safe.

Vehicle Testing New Zealand Limited (VTNZ) is a company based in Wellington, New Zealand with branches in all main centres whom carries out government-mandated Certificates of Vehicle Fitness and other inspections of motor vehicles. It is the largest vehicle inspection company in New Zealand. Zealandier Tours uses VTNZ to test & certify its fleet of vehicles as they fall due as we are guaranteed a top-quality assessment process.

DRIVER TRAINING

Before Zealandier Tours drivers can take their own tour, they must undertake a training program. This covers all aspects of operating a Passenger Service Vehicle and everything else involved with this process. Our drivers need to obtain a special P Endorsement license which includes both theory and practical assessment before they can carry passengers on tours.  They must also pass a fit and proper person check with the New Zealand Police along with a current Medical Certificate to be able to obtain this endorsement on this license. The endorsement is required to be renewed regularly – it does not last infinitely.

LOG BOOKS

NZTA – has imposed restrictions on how long the driver of a commercial or heavy motor vehicle may work before taking rest. Restricting work time helps reduce the risk of fatigue in drivers of commercial, passenger service and heavy motor vehicles. Fatigue is tiredness, weariness or exhaustion. You can be fatigued enough for it to impair your driving long before you ‘nod off’ at the wheel – which is an extreme form of fatigue. Zealandier Tours takes fatigue very seriously and we have regular awareness sessions about this, along with encouraging our drivers to be pro active about the following measures to avoid this condition. Prioritize Regular amount of Sleep, snack lightly during driving times, take your breaks when due, stay hydrated, & avoid alcohol. Logbooks are checked regularly, and any infringement may not only be costly, your licence will be suspended also.

FIRST AID CERTIFIED

Zealandier Tours ensures all their staff are trained, competent Fist Aiders. Every driver/guide completes the Comprehensive Workplace First Aid Course every 2 years. Whatever industry you are working in, such as construction, tourism or education, a Comprehensive First Aid course will help you know what to do in an emergency or at the scene of an accident. Being able to act as first responder confidently, while waiting for medical professionals to arrive, is essential to helping others and saving lives. This course meets NZQA standards and requirements of the “First Aid for Workplace”

Our staff learn

• assessing emergency situations
• adult, child and infant resuscitation and choking
• bleeding, shock, fractures, sprains and head injuries
• hypothermia, burns and poisoning
• medical emergencies, including asthma, diabetes and epilepsy
• how to manage complex medical and traumatic emergency care situation
• more advanced skills such as managing the airway of someone with suspected head and spinal injuries. You’ll learn how to use a pocket mask and AED, how to splint fractures, how to assess and manage risks, and comply with health and safety regulations in the workplace.

DOC CONCESSION TO VISIT THE PARKS AND RESERVES

The Department of Conservation (DOC) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the conservation of New Zealand’s natural and historical heritage.

About 30% of New Zealand’s land area or about 8 million hectares of native forests, tussock-lands, alpine areas, wetlands, dunes, estuaries, lakes and islands, national forests, maritime parks, marine reserves, nearly 4000 reserves, river margins, some coastline, and many offshore islands are under its control and are protected for either conservation, ecological, scenic, scientific, historic or cultural reasons, and for recreation.

Providing for recreation is a major part of its core work, and this covers the management of family picnic sites, as well as maintaining rugged backcountry tracks and over 1000 accompanying backcountry huts that are used by hunters and recreational tampers. DOC also administers the Nature Heritage Fund, and is responsible for rural fire control.

The methods of achieving these goals have resulted in all Tour operators need to acquire a Concession to enable us to visit any of these areas with clients. Zealandier Tours has acquired their concession as part of the Tauranga Cruise Tour Operators Collective and we are required to display this card on visits to respective areas and to pay a fee if $1 for every visitor we bring. These monies are used to help pay for necessary maintenance and developments of the sites.  This too, helps to monitor the number of visitors to each site, and prevents exploitation or overuse to a region. Conserving all for our future generations to come.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK – PUBLIC FORUM

 TripAdvisor, Inc. is an American travel and restaurant website company that shows hotel and restaurant reviews, accommodation bookings and other travel-related content, including tours.   It also includes interactive travel forums. TripAdvisor is the largest “social travel website” in the world, with about 315 million reviewers (active and inactive) and about 500 million reviews of hotels, restaurants, attractions and other travel-related businesses. Many people use this forum to interact. Zealandier Tours welcomes you to read our most recent guest reviews or post your own on our TripAdvisor page. We’d love to hear from you.

GUARANTEES

Zealandier Tours offers a Worry-Free Guarantee to get you back to the ship on time. Should this not happen for any reason outside of our controls we will take care of you and arrange to get you to the next port. Guaranteed.

TOURISM BAY OF PLENTY

Tourism Bay of Plenty (TBoP) is a trust, jointly controlled by Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council. The two councils appoint trustees to the board. TBoP actively contributes to the development of the Western Bay of Plenty as a leading domestic and international tourism destination. TBoP also manages the i-Site Visitor Information Centre.

TBoP takes the leading role in sustainable growth of Te Moananui ā Toi | the Coastal Bay of Plenty visitor economy and management of the destination. TBOP’s vision is to “share our love of Te Moananui ā Toi | the Coastal Bay of Plenty with the world” and our mission is “growing a sustainable visitor economy for the benefit of our community.”

Zealandier Tours has partnered with TBoP and become a licensee of the Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Sector of the tourism industry. TBoP are the interface between visiting cruise ship passengers and local tourism operators. These licenses are restricted to 7 in total and we have had to obtain these via a government-controlled RFP process. As a partner we must prove that we meet acceptable criteria and our agreement is only valid for two seasons, ending in 2020/2021 cruise season, at which time we will need to reapply. If at any time we find ourselves in breach of any provision of the agreement, we could lose our licence to operate with this arm of the tourism sector.