Gold-class for the Christchurch Tramway

The more than 10,000 working hours that went into getting Christchurch’s tramway up and running following the 2011 earthquake has paid off significantly, with the service receiving a gold business sustainability award from Tourism New Zealand.

The Sustainable Business Tourism Awards, which were refreshed this year, measure the economic, environmental, social and health & safety performance of tourism operations with three award categories - gold, silver and bronze.

The Managing Director of Christchurch Attractions, which runs the tramway, says the gold award is testament to the effort of all the people who worked on restoring the tram service following the earthquake. The tramway was closed for just over 1,000 days and the trams stored at the Ferrymead Heritage Park.

“It was always our intention to have them up and running again, and it took a huge effort by our people and city council staff,” Michael Esposito says.

“This gold award shows there is more than just nostalgic value in the tramway. Tourism New Zealand, through its Qualmark process, has demonstrated that a heritage attraction can hold its own in terms of modern business sustainability measures.”

The Qualmark evaluation of the tramway service noted the minimal environmental impact from tram activity. It described the tramway’s commitment to continuous improvement as best practice and said it had a stable and loyal workforce.

It also said that 90 percent of customer ratings for the tramway on the Trip Advisor website were either very good or excellent.

“This is fantastic news for all of the people who make the tramway what it is. From those who worked tirelessly to get the tramway back in working order after the earthquake, to the fantastic people who maintained the trams while they at the Ferrymead Heritage Park, to our people who keep the service running day-in day-out.”

Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel says the award is great news and very well-deserved.

“I take my hat off to Michael Esposito and his team for this achievement. The tram has become a symbol of the old and the new which means so much to the city.”

The tramway, which covers 2.4 kilometres in central Christchurch, was established in 1995.

ENDS.

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