May 30th, 2022

Ribbonwood Retreat Finalists in the Leading Light Business Awards

When we first looked at the application for the Leading Lights Business Awards we were not quite sure if we were up to it, but with some trepidation we decided we would give it a go.

The blurb read, 'this event offers an ideal opportunity to celebrate business excellence in our region and acknowledge the valuable contribution West Coast businesses are making to our local economy. The Development West Coast Leading Light Business Excellence Awards attracts the most progressive business minds on the West Coast, all vying to be the best in the West.'​

​The Covid-19 pandemic has been tough for business owners in Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. A report found 518 jobs have been lost in Glacier Country while businesses still standing were only operating at 20 per cent normal capacity. Domestic tourists were the life for some villages in New Zealand but not our area. We lie a couple of hours drive from the Hokitika airport and six hours drive from the nearest city of Christchurch, too far for a weekend away.

Our Bed and Breakfast had been at high capacity before the pandemic crisis hit. It wound up being shuttered for more than two years. Reopening this summer only saw a tiny trickle of guests. But on reflection we think the entire experience, which included the draining of our savings, made us more determined to stay involved with a range of sustainability initiatives   — our core mission.

​The pandemic brought time; time for ourselves, and time to work on our business. The time to rest, reflect and reset meant there were no longer those day to day distractions or excuses and I was always making to tackle those tasks I would have otherwise put off. The opportunity to take up business mentoring support helped give us confidence to continue developing and growing our business despite losing our guests and not knowing how we were going to keep up our momentum.

We did make it into the finals for the sustainability category and had a spectacular night out. We received the promo video above from Dave VisionCo. Dave worked hard to give us this quality production. 

Here's the credits...

• Gratitude to Development West Coast for all the support with business mentoring and helping us to survive. As well for hosting the awards dinner and for selecting us as finalists.
• Thanks to Dave @ VisionCo for the video.
• Kia ora Department of Conservation for sponsoring our award category.

See more about the support we received:

Support for Ribbonwood Retreat