Joining Qualmark

Every business will receive a Sustainable Tourism Business (STB) evaluation, this first meeting is held in person when the business initially joins. All subsequent meetings are held annually online as an STB review designed to assist, support and help businesses maintain or progress against their Sustainable Tourism Business Award level.

That’s okay! It just means you and your Qualmark Specialist have identified areas where some improvements need to be made. These will ultimately benefit your business and ensure a more positive visitor experience. You’ll have the opportunity to work on these areas and make the necessary changes to meet any outstanding requirements within an agreed timeframe.

We understand some businesses require specific audits and certifications to operate legally (e.g. civil aviation and marine operators). Where there is an external regulator that governs health and safety in relation to the type of business you operate (e.g. adventure activities), we’ll expect you to have been audited by that regulator and met their standards. Qualmark recognises the importance of these certifications, and these are taken into account when completing the evaluation to avoid any duplication.

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Yes, new businesses can join Qualmark. However, you will need to be a New Zealand registered company and operating for a period of time (3 months) before you can be evaluated. This allows you time to demonstrate how your processes and procedures come to life in your everyday operation so that we can then assess how the business preforms against the standards we evaluate you on.