Our Statement on Responsible Tourism

Lake House Homestay is situated near a man-made lake, used by local farmers to irrigate their crops in times of water shortage. Its tranquil waters are home to a great number of native birds, wild ducks and water fowl - we have even seen black swans - as well as being fringed in part by native bush. Nearby Mount Maungatapere is covered in native bush, and is home to a number of indigenous birds including kiwi and its crater is filled with primeval forest. The mountain is believed to have last erupted about 800 years ago.

We believe in protecting the beautiful environment of New Zealand so that your children or grandchildren can visit and enjoy it too. In order to preserve this environment and respect our community, we try to ensure we use no more resources that our business requires. Many of the actions we take you will not see, but some you may notice. Amongst our green activities, we buy where possible local produce at the farmers market, this includes fruit and vegetables, meat, honey, eggs, cheese and plants. We compost our vegetable waste for the garden, use low-energy lighting, use bio-degradable environmentally friendly cleaning products, donate unwanted items to a local charity and recycle newspapers, bottle and tins. Our water is rain, collected in two 25,000 litre tanks and our waste is processed in a modern sewage system which pumps the water back into the gardens.

We understand that all businesses create environmental and social impact through their activities. Ours is no exception. We will try to actively reduce any adverse effects through buying wisely, using resources efficiently, disposing of waste responsibly, and providing an environmentally and socially responsible service to our guests.

We also pledge to apply the following principals across all aspects of our business:
- Avoid polluting land, air and water.
- Avoid depleting natural, non-renewable resources.
- Avoid destroying habitat.
- Treat staff, suppliers and guests fairly and with respect.