This year’s Holiday Parks New Zealand (HPNZ) Award winners demonstrated the sector is brimming with talent and innovation, according to Fergus Brown, Chief Executive at HPNZ.
The awards dinner took place after the annual Holiday Parks trade show and conference in Ōtautahi Christchurch, which was buzzing with dialogues on how the sector can ‘Revive to Thrive’.
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- Emerging Star winner Dana Albert-Penu, Miranda Holiday Park
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- HPNZ Chief Executive Fergus Brown
The sought-after Emerging Star Award went to industrious young mother Dana AlbertPenu, an employee of Miranda Holiday Park who worked her way up from folding linen to office management.
“It was extremely heartening to see a record-breaking number of quality entries for this category across a range of roles, showing that a plethora of talented people are keenly engaged in the sector,” said Brown.
He added that holiday parks are also proactively addressing seasonality by keeping a close eye on what customers want, which has led to many parks introducing new facilities, such as saunas and hot tubs, to increase winter visitation.
TIA Sustainable Innovation winner, Russell-Orongo Bay Holiday Park
A tree-planting initiative that focuses on visitor engagement, the Te Ao Māori approach and the connection to the local community took home the Russell-Orongo Bay Holiday Park and the TIA Sustainable Innovation Award. Judges said the initiative was “a fantastic example of a business living the Tiaki Promise and meeting the commitments of the Tourism Sustainability Commitment”.
This year saw ten finalists announced for the ReviewPro Spirit of Hospitality Award instead of the usual five, which Brown said resulted from so many quality entries. The Spirit of Hospitality Award sets the benchmark for hospitality in the industry and was awarded to Athenree Hot Springs and Holiday Park, which is working across sustainability and consistently receives excellent customer feedback.
List of award winners:
- Holiday Parks Emerging Star Award sponsored by Tasman Holiday Parks
Dana Albert-Penu, Miranda Holiday Park - PGG Wrightsons Park Grounds Award
Ohope Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park and Spencer Beach Holiday Park - Resco Best New Build over $100,000
Hahei Beach Resort - Resco Best Upgrade under $100,000
Tasman Holiday Parks - Waihi Beach - ServiceIQ Awards
Trainee winner: Monika Rudolf - Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park
Holiday Park winner - Shelly Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park - Tourism Industry Aotearoa Sustainable Innovation Award
Russell-Orongo Bay Holiday Park - ReviewPro Most Improved Park
Pines Holiday Park, Hanmer - ReviewPro Spirit of Hospitality Award
Athenree Hot Springs and Holiday Park - Outstanding Service to the Holiday Park Industry sponsored by TOP 10 Holiday Parks Group
Colleen Ives
