Queenstown accommodation leader Glenorchy Eco Lodge took out the Supreme Award at the Queenstown Business Awards.
Outstanding sustainability and environmental business practices won the day, with Headwaters Glenorchy Eco Lodge taking out the Supreme Award and a category win in the 2Degrees Queenstown Business Awards.
The Headwaters Glenorchy team said it was thrilled to take top billing in the Excellence in Sustainability and Environmental Business Practice category at a gala dinner in Queenstown last weekend.
Its sustainability credentials clearly shone with the panel of five judges describing the business as world-leading and purpose-driven.
“This is sustainability with heart, strategy and serious impact,” the team said.
“The lodge is not content to rest on its laurels and is clearly looking for additional ways to add environmental, social and economic benefit to the community, with a commitment to ongoing positive impact.”
And the accolades continued when the lodge received the Supreme Award in the face of stiff competition from seven other category winners across a wide range of services.
Queenstown Business Chamber chief executive Sharon Fifield said the judges told her the Headwaters entry was “truly exemplary”.
“The judges said not only did Headwaters excel in Sustainability and Environmental Excellence, but the way they inspire their team, guests and even the wider community through their business was outstanding,” she said.
The lodge has operated to world-class regenerative design principles since opening in 2018 and continues to innovate and improve as it grows. Lodge co-founders Paul and Debbi Brainerd had a vision from the outset to create a thriving and regenerative triple bottom line business model that is environmentally and financially sustainable, and which gives back to the local community and the wider world.
“This project has been about energy and beauty and demonstrating those to a world-class level,” said Paul Brainerd.
“We hope people that come here are inspired by the natural environment, the beauty of this country and they take away inspiration from our design that they can take home to make the world a better place,” the couple said.
Ahead of its time from the very beginning, the lodge harnesses the power of one of the South Island’s largest solar gardens to achieve Net Positive Energy Status and is proudly the first-ever accommodation facility designed and certified to Living Building Challenge (LBC) standards, the world's most rigorous and comprehensive sustainability guidelines.
Lodge General Manager Kylie Broxton said Paul, Debbi and wider team were “thrilled and incredibly proud” to not only win the sustainability and environmental award but the Supreme Award as well.
“We have an amazing community of Queenstown businesses that are pioneers and leaders in their fields, so it’s an incredible honour for our team to be recognised amongst them.
“Congratulations to all those who entered, to the finalists, sponsors and the Queenstown Business Chamber for creating a platform which celebrates the hard work, innovation and achievements of businesses that reverberates around the world.”
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