A new strategic programme has been created to help Queenstown companies become sustainable.
The Queenstown Lakes Sustainable Business Programme was started by Otago Polytechnic last year with an introductory programme of workshops and one-on-one advisory services.
Twenty-five companies attended.
This year, a more advanced course, for companies who have already done some work on sustainable practice, has been added.
The new course is more detailed, covering implementation of strategies and empowerment of staff.
"Sustainability is about future-proofing the business. In this programme, we work with the specific needs of each company in the group," Head of School for the Centre for Sustainable Practice, Steve Henry, said.
The programme is supported by the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry for the Environment as part of the Sustainable Tourism Advisors in Regions programme.
It is overseen by a steering group with representatives from Queenstown Lakes District Council, Destination Queenstown, the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce and Otago Polytechnic.
It has been designed specifically for Queenstown Lakes businesses.
"We have been working closely with Destination Queenstown to tailor the programme for the needs of local companies.
"There are, for example, special conditions for procurement for this region, and we are also looking at the special needs for the many companies that work internationally out of Queenstown," Mr Henry said.
Five group workshops comprise the core of the programme.
Between these are individual meetings with a business adviser.
Mr Henry said the aim of the workshops was to share knowledge and learn from presenting the companies' unique circumstances to firms from different sectors.
"When managers have to articulate what their companies want to achieve, it often helps them become clearer about their own situation," he said.
Each company will also get a tailormade two-hour workshop onsite for all its employees, to enable staff to take part in the embedding of the strategy.
The number of adviser hours and the price of the programme depends on the company's number of employees.
A maximum of 10 companies will be admitted to the programme each year.
There are still a few spaces left for this year's programme, which starts with a workshop on February 16.
