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Rainbow Springs
“We took the approach that losing wasn’t an option. We’d entered the year before and made the finalists but didn’t win. We thought we would … but we didn’t.” “This time we did everything we possibly could to win – which went as far as timing how long it would take to set up and take down our displays.” “We also used staff to make the presentation. Some of them were very uncomfortable about it but we saw it as a career development exercise.” In fact, Stewart believes one of the key to the company’s success is its staff. “They’re a fantastic bunch of people, passionate, dedicated, the best you could want,” he explained. “It’s a unique place to work. We have some unique things, but it is these people that make the difference.” Located near Rotorua, the park, which also won the Hospitality and Attractions Award, operates the Kiwi Encounter facility in conjunction with the Department of Conservation. This is boosting the survival rate of endangered kiwi chicks from five per cent in the wild to about 65 per cent via the Operation Nest Egg programme. Nearly 500 young kiwi have been hatched to date. Stewart says Rainbow Springs entered to “measure the effort they’d put in”. But looking back, the benefits of winning have gone beyond that. “The win meant staff have been acknowledged for their efforts. They think of themselves as winners and that makes such a difference.” “However, it’s been a very, very good process to go through to evaluate where we’re at in our business planning. The exposure and good publicity we’ve had also allowed us to relaunch ourselves in the local market – we’ve grown our domestic base by 30 per cent. “We’ve certainly been able to capitalise on our success.”
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