Insights from Ngai ˉ Tahu Tourism: Always striving to be better

WITH MORE THAN ONE MILLION VISITORS TO ITS ATTRACTIONS EACH YEAR NGĀI TAHU TOURISM HAS A HUGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO LOOK AFTER, AND CARE FOR, IN DIVERSE AND CHALLENGING SITUATIONS.

WorkSafe’s latest Insights video sees chief executive Nicole Rosie talk to Quinton Hall, chief executive of Ngāi Tahu Tourism, about bringing a positive health and safety culture to life in one of the fastest growing areas of productivity for New Zealand – adventure tourism.

In this episode the pair talk about the principles of manaakitanga (care for people), rangatiratanga (leadership) and whanaungatanga (family and relationships) and how Ngāi Tahu Tourism brings health and safety culture to life in a way that is meaningful to its business.

Ngāi Tahu Tourism employs more than 500 staff in 14 operations across the country including the Shotover Jet in Queenstown, Franz Josef Glacier Guides and Hot Pools on the West Coast, and Rotorua’s Agrodome and Rainbow Springs. With more than one million visitors each year they have a huge number of people to look after and care for in a lot of diverse and challenging situations. For Quinton there’s always more work to do. “When you break it down it’s about never being the best. It’s about always striving to be better than we are today. And the way we talk as a team is, if we think we’re the best at anything then we’re in trouble. We’re either setting a low benchmark, or we’re not aiming high enough.

"How we talk about our health and safety is never resting – we need to keep moving,” he says.

The Insights series is designed to get business leaders talking about health and safety and will be a regular source of information and thought leadership for businesses, workers and health and safety professionals.

You can watch the full video along with previous episodes on www.worksafe.govt.nz or www.management.co.nz.