Private Sector Vote of Confidence

This month, Te Ipukarea Society achieved another milestone when we were recognised, through the Cook Islands Pocket Guide / Trip Carver project, as the selected local environmental organisation to receive this year’s tourism community-voted charity contribution, totalling roughly $750.

The funds were raised through a partnership between Cook Islands Pocket Guide and Cook Islands Tourism via Trip Carver, a tourism initiative that returns one percent of selected tourism bookings directly to local environmental and community organisations. What makes this programme unique is its democratic approach. Rather than a top-down decision, participating tourism providers, the operators who interact with our beautiful islands and our visitors every day, are invited to vote on where the collected funds should be allocated. For the 2025 cycle, Te Ipukarea Society was grateful to receive the highest number of votes, a gesture that reflects a shared vision for a sustainable future.

This initiative has close links to our pioneering work on regenerative tourism through the Mana Tiaki  project 7 years ago. Alongside partners National Environment Service, Cook Islands Tourism Industry Council, and Cook Islands Tourism Corporation, we developed and managed that scheme for environmental accreditation for participating tourism accommodators.  Unfortunately COVID put a halt to all that, and the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation subsequently decided to incorporate the environmental accreditation into their overall ongoing quality assurance programme.

Finacial and in kind contributions from the private sector and our members and project partners are vital to our operational success. As a non-governmental organisation (NGO), we receive no Government funding. We sincerely appreciate the trust placed in our work by local tourism operators, retailers, banks and other partners. All donations are strategically allocated to our core focus areas, including:

• Native and Endemic Biodiversity: We will continue our monitoring of the species that make the Cook Islands unique. Protecting our "living treasures" requires constant vigilance and data collection, as well as a rigorous system of predator control and removal.
• Waste Management Awareness: Tourism inevitably puts pressure on our infrastructure. These funds will support initiatives aimed at reducing the imports of plastic waste and promoting circular economy practices within our communities.
• Youth-Focused Education: We believe the next generation are the ultimate custodians of our environment. Our educational programmes empower young Cook Islanders with the knowledge and passion to lead conservation efforts in the years to come.
• Ecologically Sustainable Development: Including our ongoing campaign to raise awareness among our communities about the risks of deep seabed mining to our ocean’s health and marine life.
• Climate Change: Including nature based solutions to coastal protection

We commend Cook Islands Pocket Guide/Trip Carver and their partners for creating a transparent and community driven approach to giving back. This initiative highlights the positive role tourism can play in supporting environmental stewardship when communities, operators, and conservation organisations work together.  This donation complements other support we receive annually through our 4 tier (bronze, silver, gold and platinum) corporate sponsorship programme.  You can see a full list of our corporate sponsors on our website at https://tiscookislands.org/about-us/sponsors/

Te Ipukarea Society looks forward to continuing this collaboration with Pocket Guide/Trip Carver and we encourage additional tour operators to sign up, enabling even greater support for local environmental initiatives in the future.