General Manager of Auckland Sea Kayaks, Ocean Mead, has helped to lead a business that goes far beyond guided kayaking experiences. 

Last year Auckland Sea Kayaks were recognised at the 2025 New Zealand Tourism Awards, taking home the coveted Community Engagement Award. The award celebrated the company’s commitment to conservation, education and community initiatives to better connect locals with Tāmaki Makaurau's waterways. 

For Ocean, entering the New Zealand Tourism Awards was an opportunity to recognise the efforts of the Auckland Sea Kayaks team, and to showcase a side of the business that people don’t always see. 

More than a kayaking company 

Ocean says that entering the New Zealand Tourism Awards had been a long-term ambition for Auckland Sea Kayaks. Having previously entered other business and tourism awards and been named finalists several times, the team felt they were in a strong position to enter. 

“We’d always seen the New Zealand Tourism Awards as the pinnacle of the awards in our industry. It was actually the first time we’d entered, so we were very lucky to come away with an award,” says Ocean. 

The decision to enter was driven by two key motivators; recognising the hard work of staff and highlighting the broader impact of the business. 

“No one’s out there giving you a pat on the back every day, so to get something like this, you can say to your staff and partners that you work with, ‘Your work is being recognised’.” 

The awards also provided an opportunity to challenge the public's perceptions about the business. 

“A name like Auckland Sea Kayaks, everyone thinks all we do is go kayaking. But almost half (40%) of the work we actually do is community engagement, school programmes and conservation work.” 

Let the data tell your story 

One of the biggest factors behind the success of Auckland Sea Kayak’s award entry, was the evidence that backed up their story. 

Their entry included detailed information on community engagement activities, including the number of community groups involved, participant numbers and the amount of rubbish removed from local waterways. They also included customer satisfaction data, year-on-year comparisons and supporting evidence that demonstrated the impact of their work overtime. 

“Nothing sells a story like hard facts. We showed how we were improving year on year, which I think shows the progression versus doing it to support just one year. 

“The other thing we did was include testimonials from community groups and students that we work with, so they’re telling our story - versus just us.” 

The impact of winning 

For Auckland Sea Kayaks, winning the Community Engagement Award has been about the recognition and opportunities that followed. The award has helped raise the profile of the business, creating opportunities that are not always available to small operators. 

The recognition has also helped the team share their story with a wider audience and connect with new industry networks. 

“Being an award winner and a new seller at TRENZ this year, there were a lot of media opportunities that we probably wouldn’t have got otherwise. 

“It’s propelled us forward into the public arena, which has been a real benefit for us. It’s nice to be able to get seen on those platforms that we wouldn’t necessarily have otherwise.” 

Advice for future entrants 

For businesses considering entering the New Zealand Tourism Awards, Ocean’s advice is to seek out fresh perspectives - and not to be afraid to ask for help. 

Ocean recommends asking partners or someone external to the business to review the application and identify opportunities to strengthen the story; an independent perspective can help businesses step back from the detail and ensure they’re telling the strongest story possible. 

“We’ve got a really good relationship with our RTO and I reached out and asked whether they would peer review the application and if there was anything they’d remove or add. That was super valuable for us. 

“Often, once you start doing all of the data, you can get stuck in the weeds a little bit because you’ve been looking at it too long. So, find a trusted partner who’s going to read it with fresh eyes towards the end and say, ‘Have you thought about this?’ 

“It’s amazing what they can pull out of it.”