We are delighted to announce that the Cordis Hotel in downtown Auckland has responded in an exemplary manner to an enquiry from a Waiheke resident about their promotion of a package which included helicopter flights to Waiheke.
The resident noted that they had been staying at the hotel and enjoying the service and convenient location, but commented that the promotion of helicopter travel was not in accordance with the hotel’s sustainability policies. The resident signed off their email (which they copied to us) with the following byline: “A resident of Waiheke Island who wants helicopters for private/recreational purpose to be banned in residential/natural reserve areas.”
The hotel took the complaint seriously and decided to stop selling packages which include helicopter travel. They issued the following statement:
We are an EarthCheck Master accredited hotel, for our ongoing commitment to sustainability throughout the hotel, and are one of only 15 hotels globally to hold this certification. We pride ourselves on daily commitments to being a sustainable business, so we have decided to cease offering packages that include helicopter flights as they are a less sustainable form of transport that we don’t want to encourage.
We agree wholeheartedly (and so do Auckland Council) and we believe this shows that Cordis are not just greenwashing with their sustainability claims and accreditations. This makes them a good choice for Waiheke residents concerned about the climate and other impacts of recreational helicopter travel to Waiheke. Please consider them when you are next planning a stay in town.
We’re going to suggest that Cordis Restaurants consider carrying Obsidian Wines, as they have also demonstrated their environmental and social responsibility credentials.
Anyone concerned about the impacts of helicopter travel might like to write to other businesses to explain their concerns and to ask them to take similar action. Let us know if you have any success or need any help. We would love to share more positive stories like these and to promote any businesses which take steps to cease supporting non-essential helicopter travel.
Quiet Sky Waiheke 