Travel for good
Baillie Lodges works to enrich our guests, our local communities and team members with a genuine and re-energising connection to unique landscapes, peoples, and cultures.
Sustainable Luxury at Huka Lodge
The ever-changing Waikato River and broader Taupō region provide a magnificent natural setting for Huka Lodge. Taupō is found on the central plateau of New Zealand’s North Island, distinguished by its vast lake and endowed with a gentle climate, a leisurely pace and spectacular landscape. With humble beginnings nearly a century ago as a fishermen’s camp made famous for its trout-rich waters and featuring white canvas tents along the river’s edge, today Huka Lodge has secured its place as one of the country’s oldest and celebrated luxury lodges.
The broader Baillie Lodges’ commitment to sustainable luxury travel is best expressed by the lodges’ interactions with their natural environment, the local community and its culture. The protection and preservation of each lodge’s natural and cultural surroundings is a firm priority. The Baillie Lodges’ approach to sustainability is essential to lodge operations both to ensure the well-being of the destinations in which it operates and to enhance the guest experience.
Natural Environment
Dynamic environmental management plans for each property embrace advanced and emerging technology and work alongside local organisations including government agencies, national parks and conservation sanctuaries, ensuring all operational activities are in line with each region’s broader conservation goals.
Local Community
Active engagement with local communities includes establishing supportive supplier relationships with food and drink producers, local artists and designers as well as supporting local charities, education initiatives, community events and work experience programs.
Culture & Heritage
Baillie Lodges provides guests with a chance to connect with the destination’s culture and heritage in which each lodge is located. This encompasses all aspects of the lodge experience, from the design to food and drinks and suggested locally operated guest tours.
People
Baillie Lodges’ own team of people is its greatest asset, and the company carries a ‘family’ style culture with a commitment to the long-term development, retention and wellbeing of every member of its team.
Commitment to the Natural Environment
A dedicated approach to best managing the natural environment is essential to the Baillie Lodges guest experience, to the ongoing appeal of the destination and to conducting sustainable business in experiential tourism. A comprehensive Environmental Management Plan at Huka Lodge steers all operations with underlying strategies relating to conservation.
• Essential to the vision are initiatives designed to conserve energy via smart measures and technologies including the latest energy-efficient fittings including LED lights and timers, double-glazed insulated glass and roof and wall insulation reducing overall energy use. Low VOC paints and natural timbers limit the use of harmful chemicals and ensure the lowest environmental impact at end of life.
• Huka Lodge takes a holistic approach to managing its impact on the natural environment. A campaign to reduce the use of single-use plastics complements the recycling of batteries, printer cartridges and coffee pods. Organic and free-range produce is used in the kitchen, while producers who embrace sustainable practices are actively sought as partners. Chemical-free pest control is used throughout the garden, which is also planned to provide food and shelter for bees, birds and animals.
• In 2019, Huka Lodge embarked on a project to secure fresh Waikato water for the future and ensure sustainability of its use. The lodge invested in a monitoring system and purification process combining UV, activated carbon and osmosis – which ensured the restaurant’s own water was the spring water quality – and installed a state-of-the-art, wastewater plant. Its high-quality output is used to irrigate the gardens.
• Huka Lodge has three electric vehicle charging stations, making a leisurely self drive through the central plateau of New Zealand’s North Island even more convenient while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution and vehicle noise. Two electric Mercedes Benz passenger vans are a welcome arrival to the lodge fleet of vehicles.
• A dedicated policy of working exclusively with local builders and tradespeople, and to recruiting lodge staff from the region as a first preference is another way to ensure the local community is engaged and its economy sustainable.
Commitment to Culture & Heritage
A key philosophy that underpins the guest experience at Huka Lodge is the connection with the region’s landscape, heritage, wildlife and culture.
• A visit to Taupō offers a wonderful chance to engage with local Māori culture and discover its stories and heritage. Lake Taupō is rich in Māori history and cultural experiences range from a wander through the local art galleries to visiting the Ngātoroirangi Mine Bay Māori rock carvings and attending a cultural performance.
• Huka Lodge has its very foundations in the sport of fly fishing, as the trout-rich Waikato River which flows alongside the property was the original motivation for Alan Pye to set up a series of white canvas tents as a well-positioned fishermen’s camp. Today, many visitors to Taupō are keen to try their hand at the traditional sport and the lodge works with specialist local operator, Chris Jolly Outdoors, to offer numerous experience options for guests.
Commitment to Local Community
Huka Lodge actively engages with the community offering ongoing employment opportunities and supporting local businesses and producers, providing a veritable boost to the local economy as well as a homegrown identity.
• In 2024, Baillie Lodges launched an ongoing community fundraising program called the Spirit of Mateship. The bi-annual fundraiser sees three-night stays auctioned at each property in the portfolio with proceeds donated to a local community organisation. Huka Lodge supports Greening Taupō and their mission to improve the Taupō environment by undertaking restoration planting and pest control to create ecological corridors to allow the number of native birds to flourish.
• A commitment to engaging with and supporting the local community is essential to Huka Lodge. supports local businesses wherever possible for the provision of food, wine and services.
• Huka Lodge recruits its loyal team from within the local area and employment opportunities for the community are ongoing.
• Huka Lodge contributes to fundraising efforts for local schools and charities and for more than thirty years has held a highly anticipated Christmas party for the community’s elderly residents.
Commitment to People
Baillie Lodges recognises its people are its greatest asset and is committed to the longterm development and wellbeing of its staff. Baillie Lodges encourages all team members to personally engage in the business and empowers them to take ownership of the delivery of exceptional service.
Baillie Lodges encourages team member development and growth and team members often transfer between lodges to advance their personal and professional development and enjoy a new destination.
The Huka Lodge team is small and close-knit, attracting hospitality professionals from far and wide to create a remote family. Some of the ways that Baillie Lodges embraces, develops and cares for its people include:
• Baillie Lodges believes in investing in the broader New Zealand tourism industry by training new recruits, recruiting hotel school trainees and offering opportunities for staff development including chef apprenticeships and individual scholarships.
• The Baillie Lodges team is an integral part of the lodge experience and is encouraged to establish a warm rapport with guests. This is one reason the team doesn’t wear name badges, as they introduce themselves personally to each guest.
• Baillie Lodges ensures the team is regularly recognised for its dedication, with feedback including shared guest comments and monthly awards for outstanding team members, showcasing team success stories in marketing materials and bonuses on the anniversary of employment.
