As we start moving around New Zealand for our 6 month tour, it seems like an ideal time to re-introduce our New Zealand travel sponsor Wendekreisen. We’ve been delighted with the friendly service received so far and the vehicles have everything we need to survive our coming months on the road being chased North by the winter. Who better to tell us about the business than the owner with their answers to our Q&A quiz!
Tell us a little about your business. How would you describe it in less than fifty words?
Wendekreisen is a family owned and operated rental business offering campervans and cars to travellers in New Zealand. We have been operating since 1991 and see ourselves as a social business by taking a sustainable approach in regard to our customers, staff, suppliers and the natural environment.
Do you have any exciting projects on the horizon?
Yes, we do have a range of initiatives in place and some innovative projects on the horizon. One of our most exciting projects is the ‘Wendekreisen Carbon Project’ in which we work with the ‘New Zealand Native Reforestation Trust’ and buy their carbon credits to offset ALL of the carbon emissions of our vehicles. The system seems to work really well and in the process, we noticed that it is very difficult to offset carbon emissions without huge administration fees. We are therefore now working with local government in an attempt to bring about change and to enable small businesses to offset their imprint in a simplified way without complicated and expensive processes. If you wish to read more about the carbon project, please have a look at the information on our website .
How did you get to where you are today?
By taking slow steps, year by year and by working hard. Also, we believe that long-term thinking in combination with acceptance of interdependency have made a large difference to our business. We enable local people to make a reasonable living, provide fully funded health insurance, provide good quality work gear, aim to go over and beyond in terms of accident prevention and see ourselves as one family where mistakes are allowed in order to learn from them. We allow people to grow within the company and earn huge rewards such as loyalty, appreciation, a strong company culture, dedicated and reliable employees and suppliers that go the extra mile. Because our people really do care, we find better solutions than our competitors and therefore can offer a good quality product at low prices. This transfers into the customer experience and translates into very good feedback which in turn generates increased growth year by year. Wendekreisen employees and suppliers see themselves as one large family and it is great to see that many of their children now start working for us 🙂 I guess you get the feeling, we are very proud to have created a company that has done things a bit more socially engaged yet is still highly competitive and keeps customers happy.
What inspires and motivates you?
Our family has long been inspired by philosophies of Tibetan Buddhism combined with approaches towards an acceptance of interdependencies between all living beings on this earth. We believe in peaceful and balanced negotiation of the social and environmental challenges in today’s business world. One of our key motivators is to conduct business by not causing harm to others. This in turn translates into formalised health and safety policies over and beyond statutory requirements. It also translates into medical support. For example, if an employee experiences any health issues then there is fully funded health insurance in place to take care of these problems without delay. Our insurance also covers pre-existing conditions which often also helps with conditions which have not resulted from working at Wendekreisen. The above philosophies are also the driving factor for our environmental initiatives (we have 28 of them) and urge us to consider more than ‘just a supplier’. We try to see the families behind the scene, carefully weigh up the cost vs the benefits and make a huge amount of social and environmental considerations in this process. This motivates our employees and suppliers, motivates our competitors to follow suit, motivates our leaders to continue and motivates our customers to return. Our world is not infinite, yet our economic systems treat it that way. Our mission statement and company philosophy urge us to make a change in that regard with means and abilities available to us at this point in time. We simply try our best to achieve change by ‘looking at our own backyard’.
Why did you choose to support Friends for Sharks?
Sharks as well as other marine life are under imminent threat by human activity and CO2 emissions (aka ocean acidification). Marine conservation efforts are crucial to maintain sustainable life on earth. You combine to volunteer your time and effort to protect sharks and to educate humanity about them. We feel that your initiative deserves support and are proud to be one of your supporters.
Do you have any shark encounters you would like to share with us?
I have surfed with Orca whales, dolphins, seals, see the fish in the waters and have dived with reef sharks. I feel passionate about marine life but do feel pleased not to have had any encounters with Hammerhead or Great White sharks, both of whom are resident in our country.
What is your hope for the future of the oceans?
A systematic eradication of growth economies to reduce CO2 emissions to reduce ocean acidification. I am terrified that the southern oceans are predicted to be too acidic to enable calcium carbonate of little sea critters such as krill to form and flourish. My hope is that the oceans can sustain our abuse and that we can change our ways before it is too late.
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