Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park has been recognised through Qualmark's Gold Sustainable Tourism Business Award.

The award recognises the council-owned park's commitment to sustainable environmental practices like recycling, reducing waste, and energy conservation.

It's the highest sustainability award Qualmark offers.

Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park manager Mark Hales says the ‘whole team' is committed to sustainable practices.

'We generate solar electricity from the roof of the reception and use it to power the admin building and the house wherever possible. We also separate out general rubbish, food scraps and different types of recycling for both staff and visitors to minimise waste going to landfill. Every day staff manually remove recycling from the landfill bins.

'Our efforts around waste management have also saved the business $6000 in a year.”

The food scraps go into a worm farm, and the park also takes care of a nearby café's leftovers. Metal is separated out and collected by a specialist metal recycler.

LED lighting in the amenities blocks saves on power, and push-button taps and showers conserve water.

Tauranga City Council environment committee chair Steve Morris says the award is a reflection of the council's commitment to creating a more sustainable city.

'As Tauranga grows at record rates we need to work harder than ever on environmental sustainability. It's fantastic to see the team at Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park leading by example.”

In addition to environmental practices, the Sustainable Business Tourism Award also assesses economic sustainability, customer service and people skills as well as health and safety.

Qualmark was particularly impressed by the park's comprehensive health and safety systems.

Qualmark general manager Cameron Lawrence congratulates Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park on its achievement.

'Any tourism business that has achieved a Gold Sustainable Tourism Business Award has demonstrated that all aspects of a sustainable tourism business are well developed and integral in the operations, communications, and guest experience delivered,” says Cameron.

'This will be evident in a customer centric culture, with staff reflecting this in their actions and service delivery, but the business will also have very clear leadership that values all aspects of sustainability equally.”

In addition to achieving the Gold Sustainable Tourism Business Award, the park also retains its ‘4-star plus' rating under Qualmark's star grading system, which is a reflection of the excellent facilities and services available.

Qualmark, owned by Tourism New Zealand, is an independent accreditation system designed to enable travellers to select accommodation, activity and attraction options with confidence, knowing that the businesses they've chosen have been quality assured.