Our Commitment
PRESERVING AND RESPECTING THE ECOSYSTEMS, PEOPLE AND ANIMALS OF THE LAND WE OPERATE ON
At Ziptrek regenerative tourism is at the heart of everything we do. We care deeply about conserving, protecting and improving beautiful New Zealand for generations to come. From the outset Ziptrek was designed to have an extremely low environmental footprint. We aim for our business operations to have such an impact that if we removed our ziplines, detached our treehouses and left the area, our Queenstown community and environment would be left better than when we arrived in 2009.
We not only give back to the community, organisations, and the environment in a number of ways but we also educate, inform and inspire guests with our unique educational tours.
OUR COURSE ETHOS
Sustainable education is an integral aspect of each of our tours (along with some ziplining fun of course!) We hope that we can help others understand what true sustainability is in a fun and engaging way. Our tours are pinned on a scientific framework called The Natural Step. This framework consists of four conditions that fundamentally form the basis of a healthy system. As our expert guides move through our tours they expand on these conditions and explain what we are doing and more importantly what you can do to help save our precious planet!
“Sustainable practices will ensure a healthy future for our enterprises and human society”
Condition 1: “In a sustainable society we only take what nature can replace”
Condition 2: “In a sustainable society we make only what nature can process”
Condition 3: ‘In a sustainable society we avoid breaking nature”
Condition 4: “In a sustainable society everyone’s needs are met worldwide”
“Queenstown’s environment is at the heart of our business and everything we do. We couldn’t imagine living and working in this stunning environment without giving something back.”
- Trent Yeo, Company Director
QUEENSTOWN'S FIRST NET ZERO CARBON TOURISM ACTIVITY
“Manaaki whenua, Manaaki tangata, Haere whakamua.”
“Care for the land, care for the people, go forward.”
For the sixth year in a row, Ziptrek is proud to have achieved Net Zero Carbon Business Operations Certification with Ekos who provide carbon footprint measurement, reduction and carbon offsetting based certification services.
Ziptrek’s 23/24 business operations carbon impact was measured as 23.56tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) or 1.01kgCO2e per guest.
We offset 100% of the CO2 emissions we produced by purchasing certified carbon credits that support the growth and protection of permanent indigenous forests in Aotearoa. This year, we have chosen to support the Kānuka Hill – Uruwhenua Native Regeneration Project near Golden Bay.
Ziptrek Ecotours’ emission and offset summaries are available here:
23/24 summary - view.
22/23 summary - view.
21/22 summary - view.
20/21 summary – view.
19/20 summary – view.
18/19 summary – view.
To put our carbon impact of 1.01kgCO2e per guest into perspective, the production of an average running shoe is estimated to generate around 12.5kgs of carbon dioxide emissions. A one-way flight from Auckland to Los Angeles is estimated to have a carbon footprint of 1.7 tonnes per traveller.
Ziptrek is able to operate year-round and welcome thousands of guests per year on tour while maintaining a comparatively minuscule carbon footprint – we’re pretty proud of that!
And we are continually working to further reduce our carbon impact.
By choosing Ziptrek as an activity, you are supporting climate action!
TIAKI MEANS TO CARE FOR PEOPLE AND PLACE
Nau mai haere mai ki Aotearoa, Welcome to New Zealand
New Zealand is precious, and everyone who lives and travels here has a responsibility to look after it. We’ve taken The Tiaki Promise, a commitment to care for New Zealand, for now, and for future generations and encourage you to do so, too:
“While travelling in New Zealand I will
care for land, sea and nature, treading lightly and leaving no trace.
Travel safely, showing care and consideration for all.
Respect culture travelling with an open heart and mind.”
Learn More
EVERY TOUR GIVES BACK
Every guest that joins us on a Ziptrek Ecotour helps us give back to our community and environment. Here are just a few things we’re proud to have accomplished with your help:
- Planted more than 6,000 native trees to reintroduce native flora and strengthen the ecosystem
- Donated $250K+ to low impact organisations and volunteer charities
- Raised over $3000 for Waste to Wilderness, a local initiative building waste streams into scalable planting during our Locals’ Month Event
- Sponsored Paper4Trees, a waste minimisation and native tree planting programme for schools
- Sponsored the reptile wing at Kiwi Birdlife Park to house its collection of endangered wildlife
- Implemented a pest control program on Bob’s Peak to trap predators like stoats and possums
- Worked with Wilding & Co, an organisation actively removing wilding pines in the Whakatipu and turning them into pure pine essence oil
- Switched to Ecotricity, a 100% renewable, 49% community-owned & carbon-neutral provider
- Installed a living green wall in our office, improving air quality & creating a stage for events
- Donated $4000 to Love Queenstown contributing to $75,000 towards community projects
- Planted 2500 trees alongside Mana Tāhuna, Wakatipu Reforestation Trust and Love Queenstown
- Cycled 1,500 kms in Feb 2025 in the Love to Ride challenge to encourage an active transport ethos
- Donated $7,000 and made over 200 loans to Kiva, a global charity that micro-loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries
- Partnered with ethical, sustainable and local companies – Fjällräven (uniform), Little Difference (greeting cards), Bee the Change (honey)
We use tools such as cookies and similar technologies to track, analyze, and personalize your experience and ads, and share data with our partners. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy. Change your preferences anytime using the "Manage Cookies" link at the bottom of the page.