Case Study: Ora Ora Eco Wellness Resort

Date: 25 July 2006

1. Business Background

Business Name:
Ora Ora Eco Wellness Resort

Business Type:
Eco Wellness Resort

Main Products:
Health treatments, accommodation, organic food and drink

PAMPERING!

Number of staff
Low season – same as high season, because tourists are N O T our target

High season – 2 owners (full time), 1 gardener (part time), 1 housekeeper (part time), 3 therapists (subcontractors – part time)

Number of sites you operate from
One

How long has your business been operating?
Four years

What are your main markets?
40 % international / 60 % domestic

What factors affect the success of your business?
Reliable staff, the currency situation, the stress factors of life,
the priorities set by people (i.e. health problems, wellbeing)

2. Sustainable Business Practices

What does sustainability mean to your business?

• It can run without the owners
• It needs as little “imports” as possible

What sustainable business practices was your business using before being involved in this project?

• Organic sustainability in the garden
• Including waste water management (no chemicals in the resort)
• Numerous energy saving measures including solar hot water
• No spray (organic)
• No chemicals in the kitchen and resort
• Educating customers to what a garden looks like where you don't use Round-up etc
• Spreading the news about sustainability, organics, permaculture, energy concerns etc to customers and the public

What was involved for your business in the project?
Owners' personal time to identify additional measures and to intensify the existing measures

Where did the motivation come from to become involved in this project?

• Constantly strive for improvement on principles and actions
• Availability of outside advice offered by the programme
• Positive feedback by previous participants
• Good experience with Carol Maxwell's programme

Who has been involved in the project to date and why?

• Owners Rolf and Inge, to provide the general plan and the finance
• Ria Woollams providing mentoring environment-wise
• Carol Maxwell providing mentoring on sustainabily business-wise
• Polytech tutors, to provide mentoring permaculture-wise (indirectly)

How much time did your business spend on this initiative?
Difficult to numerise due to our continuous efforts to improve and develop, maybe 15 hours per week just thinking and planning

What steps has your business implemented since the start of the project?
Many (for details see the plan)

Latest: we just signed up for the conservation corps/environment project

In the Polytech, in order to get more contact with people involved in these projects and to learn more about the four geographical areas that they are involved with.

We are also just converting our business car from diesel to biofuel which will be exhibited at the Russel Environmental Expo to entice more people to convert their diesel cars. We do realize that bio fuel on a large scale is not sustainable in the long term, but it is one step in getting away from ordinary fuel dependancy.

How do you see your business maintaining its commitment to the process started by this project?

• Ongoing (fun and German perfectionism)
• Raise awareness of the eco-principles and encourage others to follow our path

3. Commitments to Sustainability

The Action Plan included a Statement of Intent, which set out the steps we have committed to take in support of the Northland Tourism Charter, over the immediate, medium and long term.

In summary, these are:

Commitments to the Environment - as per plan, but a little bit more

Commitments to our Community - as per plan, but maybe a little bit less

Commitments to the Business - as per plan, but a little bit more perfect  

4. Advice to Others

What advice would you give to other businesses interested in becoming involved in a similar type of initiative?

• Go for it!
• There are good ideas and savings in it, interesting involvement with new technologies, interesting people to meet, a better “Conscience”, a feeling of usefulness

5. Benefits of Being in the Project

• Our own enhancement as well as seeing other people apply similar/same methods
• Getting input from the mentor/government people - nothing replaces a person to person discussion!

6. Roadblocks to Sustainability

• A reluctant government and/or councils
• Feeding self-generated power into the net and getting real money for it (e.g. Germany giving one dollar per kW, compared to 20 cents that you have to pay if you take it from the net – this makes subsidies for purchasing solar or wind equipment superfluous and relieves pressure because less needs to be imported)
• Hesitance to get public transport (e.g. rail system) going again
• Promote permaculture (improve nutrition, reduce
  health /doctors/care cost)

Contact Details
Organisation: Ora Ora Eco Wellness Resort
Contact Person: Rolf Mueller-Glodde and Inge Bremer
Address: 28 Landing Road , Kerikeri 0230
Phone: 09-4073598
E-mail: rolf@oraoraresort.co.nz
www.oraoraresort.co.nz

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