Our Environmental Commitment

We understand that we play a significant role in enhancing this destination - in teaching people about it's importance and helping them to leave here with the same love and respect for the Mount Cook region that we have.

We also know our capacity to minimise the negative impacts of our operations, promote social responsibility, ensure tourist satisfaction, and conduct business in such a way that benefits our community and our unique environment.

The Hermitage Hotel was one of the first hotels in New Zealand to recieive an Enviro-Gold rating from the Qualmark tourism and hospitality quality assurance system. Although this was a wonderful achievement, it was not a difficult process for The Hermitage to go through. As one of the major stakeholders in the Mount Cook region, we have always taken our responsibility to the environment very seriously and continue to assess and improve our operation. Some of our most notable environmental initiatives, outlined below, have been in place for many years:

• Water turbidity meters have been installed to monitor the clarity of Aoraki Mount Cook water. Our UV treated water is some of the purest in the world - so much so that tea guru Mr Dilmah himself said when visiting that the tea was some of the best he'd ever tasted and was keen to learn how to make the water so pure!
• We provide interpretive material for all Glacier Explorers customers to teach them about the environment and help them to appreciate the significance of the area.
• As part of our contribution to conservation, a gene stock programme has been instigated which works up to five years ahead of time. Under the programme, seeds are harvested from existing native plants, propagated and sent to Motukara Nursery near Banks Peninsula for nurturing. They are then returned to Aoraki Mount Cook for winter acclimatisation prior to being planted.
• A 20 year native gene stock planting programme is nearing completion. All exotic trees (except a few historic ones) are being removed from the Aoraki Mount Cook area and some have been recycled into building materials for the village. A great example is the shelter at Blue Lakes.
• We buy in bulk by the pallet where possible and are careful to choose products that produce the least possible waste. The hotel restaurants and bars use almost no condiment sachets which saves an estimated total of more than 65,000 empty sachets a year. This prevents the potential for one sachet to contaminate a wheelie bin of compostable material. Large jars and bottles are used to dispense jams and sauces.
• Local sourcing of food supplies is an art form at The Hermitage: Salmon from the Tekapo Canal Salmon Farm, local Otago wine, local cheese, and venison from Glentanner Station. Coffee is UTZ certified, ensuring a socially and environmentally responsible production method.
• Volunteer conservation programmes such as the Lake Pukaki to Tasman/Hutt Valley trapping programme which several staff are part of aim to return the natural habitat to pre-European times.
• We are currently trialing the use of recycled cooking oil from our kitchens to power our vehicle fleet.