No luck involved for Supreme New Zealand Tourism Award Winner

Christchurch Casino, a business that puts innovative workplace training at the heart of its culture and as a result reaps the rewards with increased staff loyalty, competitiveness and âcustomer delightâ, is the winner of the Air New Zealand Supreme Award in the 2010 Tourism Industry Awards.
Organised by the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIAnz), the awards were announced in Auckland yesterday evening (14th October) at a gala event attended by over 350 industry leaders.
The Supreme Award was presented by the Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key to Christchurch Casino, which also won the ATTTO Tourism Workplace Training Award. Located in the heart of Christchurch, the Casino is the cityâs leading entertainment venue, attracting almost one million visitors annually.
Innovating for success was the theme of this yearâs Tourism Industry Awards and the judges said walking around the Christchurch Casino you could feel the culture, "innovation is across the whole organisation and it shows results.�?
The judges said a comprehensive training programme delivered with industry partners gives the almost 600 staff a clear career path and instills greater confidence, especially for those in the all important frontline roles. Staff are encouraged to contribute their own ideas and take the initiative.
âChristchurch Casino is an outstanding tourism business that clearly shows the link between a quality, innovative training approach and delivering an unforgettable and positive customer experience â win or lose. Its performance is all the more impressive when you consider the highly regulated environment in which it operates,�? said the judges.
TIANZ Chief Executive Tim Cossar says he is delighted to see Canterbury take a number of the top tourism awards, and hopes it will give the region a boost in the aftermath of last monthâs earthquake.
As well as the Supreme Award, two prestigious individual awards were won by Cantabrians. Wally Stone, a founding member and Chairman of Whale Watch Kaikoura and past Tourism New Zealand board member and chairman, won the Horwath HTL Sir Jack Newman Award for his outstandingly innovative contribution to tourism throughout a distinguished career in the industry.
Ryan Sanders, owner and director of Haka Tours, won the PATA Young Tourism Entrepreneur Award. Haka Tours is a Canterbury based venture offering visitors guided adventure and snow tours. The entrepreneurial 32-year-old returned from a corporate job in the UK four years ago to start up his tourism venture. He recently purchased Haka Lodge, a boutique flash-backpacker lodge in Christchurch.
The Awardsâ judges said the calibre of finalists in this yearâs Awards was very high, and selecting the winners in several categories came down to the wire.
âIt is great to see that our winners come from regions across the country and range from large companies with hundreds of employees to family run operations. Our inspirational winners show that being small is no deterrent to running a savvy and successful tourism business,�? continued the judges.
âThese tourism operators have successfully come through one of the toughest trading environments on record â they prove that true innovators are still making the money. Innovation is inherent throughout their businesses and is lived and breathed by all their staff.�?

2010 Tourism Industry Award Winners by Region

CANTERBURY

Air New Zealand Supreme Award, and ATTTO Tourism Workplace Training Award

Christchurch Casino

Putting innovative workplace training firmly at the heart of its culture over the past three years has seen Christchurch Casino reap the rewards - improved staff loyalty, greater competitiveness and increased âcustomer delightâ.

Christchurchâs leading entertainment venue, the Casino has almost 600 staff who collectively deliver an outstanding experience for around one million visitor

http://www.tianz.org.nz