Te Awamutu Museum honoured with a golden award

Te Awamutu Museum has been recognised for its sustainable tourism practices, achieving a Qualmark Gold Award.

Qualmark is New Zealand tourism’s official quality assurance organisation, that independently validates tourism businesses that are of a high standard. It is an internationally recognised qualification for tourism businesses throughout New Zealand.

Waipa¯ District Council museums and heritage director Anne Blyth said the Te Awamutu Museum Team is delighted to have been awarded the Qualmark Gold Award.

“The process to apply for an award is very thorough and has taken some time to work through and with the added interruptions due to Covid-19, so it is great to finally gain the final seal of approval that signifies Te Awamutu Museum has one of the most high-quality experiences New Zealand has to offer.

“Not only does the award provide our visitors with the assurance that our museum has been independently validated as a quality tourism business. It also provides instant recognition for our customers that our museum will deliver a quality experience.”

The evaluation was undertaken at the start of February.

Feedback received during the evaluation assessment was that the museum is one of the most prepared companies seen in quite some time and congratulated it on the level of detail and information provided.

The evaluation covers four main areas — economic, environment and culture, social/people and health and safety.

Acting community services manager Brad Ward said the award was great recognition of the dedicated work the team does to ensure they deliver a high-quality museum experience.

“It is an awesome accomplishment for Te Awamutu Museum and Waipa¯ District Council. The team do fantastic work to connect visitors with the region’s rich heritage and taonga, so an award such as this reinforces the mahi and passion behind the scenes.”

“Te Awamutu Museum will be proudly displaying the Qualmark Gold Award as evidence we are committed to protecting our beautiful natural environment, enhancing connections with our local communities, whilst delivering a quality, safe experience for all visitors.”

The Museum will continue to work with Qualmark to ensure the experience is constantly improving for visitors.