Bay of Plenty Inbound Tour Operator - Excellence recognized by industry peers
New Zealand Educational Tours (NZET) has been proudly showcasing New Zealand to people aged 8 to 88 for close to 30 years. Adele Marsden acquired the business in 2006 and they have continuously grown stronger, despite a few challenges along the way.
“NZET is New Zealand’s largest student tour operator providing tours and experiences for international students studying in New Zealand as well as for schools, universities, sports or special interest groups whether visiting from overseas or New Zealand based” says Adele.
This year NZET has been recognised by the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ), as being a leader in their field and have made it to the finals of the TECNZ Operator of the year awards under the Small Inbound Tour Operator category.
“Our mantra is to give our clients the holiday of a lifetime and create memories that last forever”, Adele says, “and it’s an honour to be nominated for this award by our peers which comes on the back of a long hard rebuild after covid-19 which decimated our industry. We managed to keep in contact with the ‘A-team’ who were all made redundant and are all back again in fine form with projections for record numbers of clients predicted in 2025 the way things are tracking”.
With over 300 students aged 14 to 18 on the road at any given time, Health and Safety is always a top priority for NZET. Being a Qualmark certified operator they exclusively use Qualmark suppliers for accommodation and activities. NZET tours provide an on-board educational and cultural programme in a fun and informal setting, with a focus on learning about Maori culture, New Zealand’s incredible geography, wildlife, environment, ecology, and unique Kiwi lifestyle. The tours are run in the spirit of the ‘Tiaki Promise’ a commitment to care for New Zealand, for now and for future generations.
“We are absolutely passionate about New Zealand and showing the ‘best bits’ off to the world”, muses Scott Henderson, NZET’s Business Development Manager, “We’re a national tour operator, but we’re staunchly Bay of Plenty proud, so have integrated visits to the Bay of Plenty region on our North Island Discovery tour and have incorporated it in many itineraries for our inbound groups. The visitors just love the relaxed vibe, and the beautiful white sandy beaches.”
They team up with local operator ‘Mauao Adventures’ whose vision aligns with their own. Students try paddle boarding, waka-ama and a have cultural tour of Mauao. Mauao Adventures’ vision is that alongside all tangata whenua of Tauranga and our iwi, and for our whenua/land and our moana/ocean to be so well looked after, from the mountains to the seas, that we humans will also reap the benefits of health and wellness through our actions’.
NZET also gives back to the local community, having sponsored students on Project K, a 14-month program by the Graeme Dingle Foundation designed to help Year 10 students build self-confidence, achieve goals, and find direction and regularly contributing to woman’s refuge and the "Save a Kiwi" initiative, supporting the National Kiwi Hatchery.
Keep an eye out for NZET as they take on the big boys in the Tour Operator of the year awards – the winner is announced in August.
