Success Stories
Rotorua Sustainable Tourism Charter members are always implementing new and innovative sustainable business practices. Check back here regularly to learn about the contributions Charter member businesses are making towards sustainability.
The Kawarau Jet balancing act
Oct 15, 2009
Fiona and Ross Kelly have been operating Kawarau Jet for almost six years and have been Charter members since early 2006. As an operator on lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti they are keenly aware of lake water quality issues. “Not everyone realises this but the quality of Lake Rotorua can have a direct impact on our operations”, says Fiona. “When the lake is clogged up with weed we simply can’t operate and in some cases we can’t even launch the boat”. The business has been collaborating with Environment Bay of Plenty (EBOP) and other lake users in an effort to improve lake quality including reporting various water quality indicators back to EBOP.
“From a sustainability perspective our biggest challenge is fuel consumption which has an economic impact on the business and an environmental impact through pollution and greenhouse gasses” says Ross. “As well as doing the obvious like maintaining the boat’s engines at peak performance and planning optimum tour routes we also use Gull Force 10 which is a high octane fuel containing 10 percent bio-ethanol”. The use of Gull Force 10 reduces Kawarau Jet’s greenhouse gas emissions from fuel by 10 percent and as this fuel is manufactured from whey which is a by-product of the dairy industry there is no issue of displacing food crops.
Fiona and Ross take the company’s social responsibility very seriously. “We take a very wide view of our social responsibility and believe it extends not only to our staff and the local community but also to people living in less fortunate countries than New Zealand” says Fiona. At a business level Fiona and Ross are keeping all their staff throughout these difficult economic times despite the economic impact this decision has on the business. At a local level the key social issue is noise. Kawarau Jet has noise control policies such as limiting speed to 5 knots within 200 metres of shore and operates jet boats that meet strict noise control requirements. At a global level the company donated to thirty families affected by the tsunami and provide ongoing support to children through the Christian Children’s Fund. “A company’s sustainability is influenced by a wide range of issues so we’ll always be balancing economic, social and environmental sustainability and while this balancing act is not always easy we believe this is the right way forward for our business” says Ross.
