Our Environment

THE ONETANGI BEACH APARTMENTS SUSTAINABILITY POLICY

Following consideration of the importance of environmental sustainability and a commitment to be a benefit to the Waiheke Island community, Onetangi Beach Apartments has committed to strive to achieve environmental and social sustainability for the island, our beaches, wildlife and our ocean.

Waiheke Island is a community with a keen awareness of its global footprint. To adopt Sustainable practices and meet their benchmarks is the best way to represent to our guests what Waiheke Island is all about.

The Onetangi Beach Apartments commits to continually improve the environmental and social sustainability performance.

The Onetangi Beach Apartments will comply with all relevant legislation and regulations; we strive to achieve international best practice in waste disposal and water consumption.

We have a responsibility to ensure ongoing environmental performance, identification of environmental risks, recording and monitoring of impacts and implementing environmental and social sustainability measures.

Special consideration will be given to employing and empowering the local staff and wherever efficient and environmentally sustainable, products and services will be sourced locally.

We encourage staff to present our commitment to environmental and social sustainability and our Benchmarked/Certified status under our Sustainability programme to our guests, suppliers, contractors, agents and wholesalers.

Peter Russell
Hotel Manager
April 2nd, 2016

NOTE: This policy is a public document to be on display, a copy may be given to anyone. The organisation invites staff, landowners, guests and the community to suggest ways to further achieve best practice environmental and social sustainability. This policy will be reviewed by the end of 2016 and subsequently each year.

How you can help?

Protecting the Sand Dunes
Sand dunes are vital to the survival of beaches and protect homes and habitats further inshore from salt spray and sand. Beaches, with their associated sand banks and sand dunes, are coastal shock absorbers, diffusing the impact of ocean waves. The sand dunes are part of the natural cycle of shore protection and the plants and animals that live on them contribute to this dynamic process.

Threats to the sand dunes

• Development occurring within the dunes
• Introduction of exotic plants and weeds that invade and displace natives pests, like rabbits and possums, eating native dune grasses
• Vehicles, motorbikes or dune buggies
• Foot traffic and ‘dune surfing’
• Construction of seawalls and other structures that interfere with natural coastal processes.

How to prevent damage to the sand dunes?

• Use the walkways down to the beach instead of walking over the dunes
• When taking animals down to the Beach make sure they do not walk over the dunes
• Leave the Beach Litter Free by putting your rubbish in the bin
• Keep your Vehicle off the beach to prevent damage to Dunes as well as nesting of Coastal birds
• Please use marked access points when riding a horse and make sure to stay on the hard sand
• Have you dog on a leash when on the beach to keep them from running through the dunes and to stop the disturbance of the birds etc, follow the dog rules
• Do not dump garden waste on the beach as it can harm the native plants already growing in the dunes
• TAKE ACTION AND GET INVOLVED – join the local beach care group and help take care of our coast!

Waiheke Forest and Bird Reserve The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand offers a looped track through Onetangi Reserve. This private scenic reserve which is open to the public has five entry and exit points, and consists of mature Pohutukawa, Taraire, Nikau palms, Rimu, Miro, Matai, groves of Kauri and grand viewing points.