Karapiro Wellness Resort has become the first New Zealand hotel to adopt a carbon offset programme designed at capturing the lucrative eco-tourism market. Set to open in May 2008, the five star resort is located near Cambridge and alongside the idyllic shores of Lake Karapiro.

Karapiro Wellness Centre and Resort has joined forces with Carbon Zero and the Mangatahe Trust to introduce the programme, which works by calculating guests’ carbon footprint when they settle their bill at the conclusion of their stay. Guests are then invited at their own discretion to make a donation of the same value to The Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, in support of its reforestation and restoration programme.

The Carbon Zero programme encourages and supports individuals and organisations to minimise their impact on climate change by providing them with tools to measure, manage and mitigate their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – a major contributor to climate change.