The Tourism Carbon Footprint Project is a Northland Inc initiative, delivered in partnership with Northland Regional Council, to help tourism businesses measure and reduce their carbon footprint with ease. Using CarbonTrail an AI-driven emissions measurement tool, participating businesses will gain valuable insights into their environmental impact, free of charge and without needing prior expertise. With expert guidance from Dr. David Ermen (Destination Capacity, businesses will also receive tailored strategies to improve efficiency, cut costs, and enhance their market appeal.
This is more than just an environmental initiative—it’s a business-first approach to sustainability. Reducing emissions often leads to smarter operations, lower expenses, and stronger brand positioning, all while supporting Taitokerau Northland’s reputation as a world-class destination. By participating, businesses contribute to a regional benchmark for emissions reduction, helping shape a more resilient tourism sector.
Join us in leading the way. Express your interest below and be part of a project that strengthens your business while protecting the natural and cultural treasures that make Taitokerau Northland unique.
A summary of findings from the Tourism Carbon Footprint Project, which supported Northland tourism operators to measure their emissions using CarbonTrail’s AI tool and provided regional insights to guide collective sustainability action.
The Tourism Carbon Footprint Project will provide businesses with a carbon footprint measurement for a 12-month period, using CarbonTrail, an AI-driven emissions measurement tool. Expert guidance will be offered to businesses to provide practical strategies and guidance on understanding and reducing their emissions, and how emission reduction can help generate business efficiencies. This will include a tailored 1-day workshop with Dr David Ermen, ensuring you have the tools and knowledge to take meaningful action.
The Tourism Carbon Footprint Project is free for businesses to take part in. A Northland Inc initiative delivered in partnership with Northland Regional Council, we recognise the importance of making carbon emission measurements accessible for our visitor industry, and encouraging education around emission reduction for business and environmental sustainability.
CarbonTrail, founded in April 2022, is based in Christchurch, New Zealand. They are a multidisciplinary team who believe in the power of technology in the fight against climate breakdown.
You can find out more about them on their website: CarbonTrail - Emissions Measurement + Scope 3 Software
Understanding your carbon footprint has a number of benefits for businesses, including:
This project kicked off in mid-2025 with an initial period to onboard operators, allow businesses to connect their data and begin to analyse their data. The final data to input your data will be the 20th August. From this point we will begin preparing the data for final reporting.
The final step in this project will be a regional report on our collective carbon footprint. All data will be aggregated and will not include individual business details or individual carbon measurement. We may ask for case study examples for the report and will discuss with you individually regarding this and what information you would be happy to share.
An initial data upload will be required, which is streamlined into the CarbonTrail platform if your business is Xero enabled. There will be a 1-hour webinar over the set-up period to guide you through the process if you need the additional support.
We may run another cohort for this project in 2026 depending on interest.
Amy Simpkin
Northland Inc Project Lead
E: amy.simpkin@northlandnz.com
