At See New Zealand, our environmental policy goal is simple: to help people discover Aotearoa while respecting the places, communities, and environments that make it special. As a digital tourism platform, we recognise that even online businesses have a responsibility to reduce environmental impact and support positive outcomes for the places we promote.

This policy outlines how we do that in practice.

1. Content with a lighter footprint

We prioritise local, trusted sources when creating content to reduce unnecessary travel and duplication of effort.

Where possible, we:

  • Use information from Tourism New Zealand and regional tourism organisations
  • Work with local operators, councils, and community sources
  • Reuse and reference existing local knowledge rather than sending people across the country to “re-capture” the same stories

This approach helps lower travel-related emissions while ensuring content reflects local perspectives and up-to-date information.

2. Responsible photography and video

Visual storytelling is important – but how it’s sourced matters.

We aim to:

  • Use locally produced photography and video whenever possible
  • Avoid unnecessary travel for content creation
  • Support local creators who already live and work in the regions we feature

By doing this, we reduce environmental impact while keeping content authentic and regionally grounded.

3. Supporting the Tiaki Promise

We actively support the principles of the Tiaki Promise, which encourages everyone who lives in or visits New Zealand to care for people, place, and culture.

Through our content, we promote:

  • Respect for natural environments
  • Responsible behaviour at popular locations
  • Awareness of local customs, safety, and conservation

Our role is not just to inspire travel, but to help shape how travel happens.

4. Reforestation and carbon-positive action

We support reforestation through our partnership with Trees That Count, helping fund native tree planting projects across Aotearoa.

Through our dedicated page, we contribute to planting trees that:

  • Support biodiversity
  • Help restore native ecosystems
  • Offset environmental impact over the long term

This is one practical way we give back to the landscapes we feature and celebrate.
https://treesthatcount.co.nz/registries/seenewzealand

5. Continuous improvement

Sustainability is not a one-off action – it’s an ongoing process.

We are committed to:

  • Reviewing our environmental impact regularly
  • Improving how we source content and media
  • Aligning our work with industry best practice
  • Being transparent about what we’re doing and where we can do better

As part of our commitment to sustainable tourism, we will continue to evolve this policy as our platform grows.

Our approach

We believe sustainable tourism isn’t about doing everything perfectly – it’s about making better choices consistently. As a platform that helps people explore New Zealand, we take that responsibility seriously and see it as part of our role in supporting a thriving, resilient tourism industry.