What a year it’s been.
With a record-breaking 154 entries, the competition was fierce, and the calibre of businesses was nothing short of exceptional.
Our independent judging panel, led by the esteemed Dr John Guthrie MNZM, had their work cut out for them.
As John shared: ‘‘Queenstown has a vibrancy that is different to most other regions.
‘‘That vibrancy carries through to the types of businesses and organisations, and the people who run and staff them.
‘‘This has been evident in the extraordinary range of businesses that entered.
‘‘The quality and depth of entry was outstanding.’’
He notes, too, that this many entries in a regional business awards may be a South Island record, and, importantly, they went well beyond the tourism industry-related companies you might expect in Queenstown, describing the range of mostly locally-owned and operated businesses as ‘‘amazing’’.
So, to every business that entered, thank you.
Taking the time to reflect on your journey, share your story, and put yourselves forward is no small feat.
Whether or not you made the finalist list this time, your contribution to our vibrant business landscape is deeply valued.
We’re also excited to introduce the finalists in our brand-new ‘Good Sort’ category — a celebration of those who go above and beyond their day jobs to uplift our community.
From mentoring future leaders, to tackling our district’s ‘big issues’, supporting local sports teams and helping others thrive, these legends embody the very best of Queenstown.
Thank you for all that you do.
And voting for ‘The People’s Choice Award’ opens today — make sure you vote for your favourite business here.
We can’t wait to celebrate with you at the Awards Gala Dinner on Saturday, November 8 — tickets go on sale from midday today, and trust us, they’ll go fast.
So, gather your team, rally your supporters, and get ready for a night of inspiration, connection, and celebration.
Queenstown businesses are world-class — full of grit, heart, and unstoppable energy.
Let’s raise a glass to their achievements and the bright future ahead.
WHILE five independent industry experts and business leaders have had the unenviable job of whittling down the exceptional entries in this year’s Queenstown Business Awards
to just 29 finalists, and picking each category winner, this one’s up to you.
Voting opens today for the Mountain Scene The People’s Choice Award, via scene.co.nz, for which every finalist — with the exception of those nominated in the ‘Good Sorts’
category — is eligible.
To vote, just follow the link and give your click to the business or organisation you think’s most deserving, then scroll to the bottom of the page and enter your details.
Voting runs until 5pm, Thursday, November 6 — the winner will be announced at the 2degrees Queenstown Business Awards Gala Dinner at the Queenstown Memorial Centre on Saturday, November 8.
— SHARON FIFIELD
Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce CEO
FAMILY-owned and proudly Queenstown-based, Glenorchy Air has built its reputation on safety, service, and genuine care for every passenger.
Led by CEO James Stokes and chief pilot Megan George, the team’s passion for aviation and the region shines through in every flight.
Their business is built around a simple promise: to exceed expectations and turn every journey into an unforgettable South Island adventure.
NZSKI is a family-owned and operated company delivering world-class ski experiences at Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Mt Hutt.
The team is committed to delivering end-to-end service to guests.
From transport to rentals and retail, through to full restaurant offerings and lessons alongside sporting and social events, NZSki is dedicated to maintaining safe and sustainable ski areas while supporting the communities it operates in.
SOFITEL Queenstown Hotel & Spa is a boutique luxury hotel, with 84 newly-refurbished rooms and suites, award-winning dining, a spa and tailored event spaces.
Their service philosophy is based on ensuring that service excellence is not just delivered, but deeply felt by every guest and is centred on proactive, pre-emptive hospitality, investment in sustainability, and ongoing reinvestment in product and service.
ZIPTREK Ecotours, Queenstown’s original zipline company, blends adventure with purpose through award-winning eco-adventures on Bob’s Peak.
Guided tours weave together storytelling about sustainability, ecology, and local culture, connecting guests to the environment and the concept of kaitiakitanga (guardianship).
Beyond ziplining, Ziptrek leads local conservation efforts and is championing inclusive adventure tourism with the launch of its Accessibility Guide for guests with mobility concerns.
For Ziptrek, adventure isn’t just about thrill; it’s about leaving guests with a sense of belonging, reflection and lasting impact.
FOUNDED in 2019 by Ben Hudson and John Mathieson, Ben Hudson Architects is a boutique Queenstown studio with a big sense of purpose.
The practice focuses on creating liveable architecture that blends innovative design with environmental responsibility and local context.
This year, they won a Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects (NZIA) Southern Region Award and were a Home of the Year finalist 2025 with Home Magazine.
Specialising in bespoke residential projects, they offer a full range of architectural services, maintaining a collaborative, client-focused approach, designing homes that reflect the Central Otago landscape and the daily lives of those who inhabit them.
HOP On Hop Off Wine Tours Queenstown offers a flexible way to experience Central Otago’s wineries, breweries and land marks at guests’ own pace, giving people
the freedom to explore the region without the pressure of tight schedules.
This small, community-minded business is focused on looking after both staff and local partners, efficient operations and delivering personalised service.
THE Boat Shed Bakery is Queenstown’s newest artisan bakery, tucked along the Frankton Track with views of Lake Whakatipu.
Since firing up the ovens for the first time on December 21, 2024, the trays have not stopped moving and they have built a loyal following for their small-batch pastries, fresh breads and great coffee.
Through creative collaborations with local businesses, their Boat Shed Run Club and engaging marketing campaigns, the team has built something that is more than just a bakery — it’s a destination.
BOTH Brains, a Queenstown-based technology solutions provider, has been delivering managed IT services and support for 12 years.
Serving clients from small businesses to global enterprises, they simplify complex technology and reduce tech-related stress to support business growth, creating a service model based on partnership, clarity and excellence.
Committed to the community, Both Brains founded and leads Queenstown Women in Tech, coordinates Tech Week Queenstown, runs mentoring circles, and delivers workshops to upskill others and make technology more accessible.
JANE Guy provides support to female business owners to help them create more income, have more freedom to choose how they spend their time and feel more in control of their business futures.
Guy is committed to building strong client relationships by creating safe spaces, showing up with authenticity, and bringing both strategy and heart into every interaction. She provides her services through a combination of private one-on-one coaching, group workshops and speaking engagements.
MEDRECRUIT is Australasia’s leading medical recruitment agency, specialising in connecting doctors with locum and permanent roles across Australia and NZ.
Medworld is developing technological solutions to address the challenges in healthcare.
In 2024, they launched two innovative tools, the Digital Doctor Profile and the Medworld Timesheeting App.
These platforms streamline admin, reduce paperwork, and empower doctors to manage their careers digitally.
The Medworld Institute is a non-profit organisation funded by Medenterprises, providing resources and scholarships for medical students and junior doctors.
CANYON Brewing is a craft brewery, taproom and restaurant above the Shotover River.
Their innovation is the launch of NZ’s official Aperol Spritz on tap, created in partnership with Campari NZ.
The idea was born from their own restaurant, where they saw first-hand the challenges of delivering cocktails at scale.
Customers wanted cocktails, but high staff turnover, inconsistent skill levels, and the sheer volume of guests made it difficult to deliver fast, consistent service.
Through refining the process and recipe, they were able to perfect and scale the product, which is now sold nationwide through distributors and via their in-house sales team.
EPICSHOT is a technology company that creates instant, high-quality video content for the adventure tourism industry.
Using a combination of smartphones, GoPro technology, bespoke software, and automated systems, EpicShot captures point-of-view footage and stitches it into professional, shareable videos within minutes of the activity’s completion.
Originally created for AJ Hackett Bungy NZ, EpicShot enables reliable, efficient and social-media-ready content, without requiring staff to manage editing or delivery.
From its inception, EpicShot has reimagined how adventure tourism operators capture and deliver content.
KAUATI is a strategy and research consultancy focused on the relationship between nature and culture.
Their work bridges gaps between Māori and Western frameworks, co-designing solutions with partners to integrate iwi and hapū knowledge and values into policy and environmental systems.
By blending Māori and Western models, Kauati and their partners develop and implement methodologies that strengthen policy projects — ensuring they reflect mana
whenua priorities while meeting shared environmental goals.
THEIR pioneering Creator Programme empowered frontline crew to produce authentic content, capturing the energy, humour and thrill of the bungy experience for social media.
By turning employees into brand storytellers, AJ Hackett has built a marketing model that is authentic and highly effective.
CARDRONA ski resort’s ‘The Biggest Playground Around’ campaign dramatised the end-of-day reluctance to leave the mountain with grown-up tantrums — it’s not just
kids who throw tantrums when the fun’s over.
The campaign was memorable, with a strong brand narrative and emotional drivers alongside a data-driven approach.
NZSKI’S marketing approach balances brand-building with performance marketing across its three ski areas — Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Mt Hutt.
Each mountain has its own distinct brand identity, unified under one strategy that’s brand-led and customer-centric.
Through emotive storytelling, Kiwi humour, and character-driven campaigns, NZSki celebrates authenticity, community and connection.
COUNTRY Lane is an artisan village that honours the past while nurturing Queenstown’s creative future.
This family-owned and operated business is home to boutique shops, local makers, and community events.
It’s designed as a regenerative precinct that gives back more than it takes, environmentally, socially and economically.
With sustainability at its core, the development prioritises relocated buildings, recycled materials, native plantings, and generous green spaces.
QUEENSTOWN Airport is redefining what it means to be a responsible regional airport, committed to tackling climate change, supporting the community, and operating sustainably.
Since launching its Sustainability Strategy in 2021, the airport has reduced emissions by 76% and achieved Level 4+ Airport Carbon Accreditation, one of the highest global standards.
From contributing to biodiversity and native regeneration projects and electrifying operations, Queenstown Airport is embedding sustainability and environmental best practice across its business while supporting local organisations and community initiatives.
THE Headwaters Eco Lodge is a boutique eco lodge in Glenorchy with a strong commitment to regenerative tourism and sustainability.
Built to the rigorous and comprehensive sustainability guidelines of the Living Building Challenge standards, it produces more energy than it uses, saves hundreds of
thousands of litres of water annually, and showcases innovative systems from solar power to composting wetlands.
Beyond its eco-design, the lodge commissioned New Zealand’s first community composting facility in partnership with the Queenstown Lakes District Council, has
established an abundant organic garden, thriving beehives, and hosts guided wilderness adventures that encourage guests to connect with nature.
HOTEL St Moritz, a five-star, 134-room hotel managed by Accor, offers a mix of rooms, suites, and apartments in a lakeside setting.
The hotel employs about 100 staff and prioritises a culture of belonging, care, and support, with a strong focus on learning and development, commitment to leadership development, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Their diverse team has been led by just two female general managers in their 27 years of operation, and female leaders are supported and encouraged within a traditionally male-dominant industry.
Reward, recognition and celebration are key components within their performance culture.
KINROSS is a unique wine tourism business, set on 14 hectares in the heart in Gibbston.
They are a vineyard with their own label, a successful hospitality business, a bistro restaurant, accommodation provider and were recently awarded Qualmark’s Wine Tourism Business of the Year Award 2024.
They have earned a reputation as an outstanding employer by placing team culture at the heart of its success.
Guided by the principles of manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga, Kinross fosters a supportive, respectful, and inclusive environment where staff wellbeing, recognition and development are prioritised.
FUTURE Hospitality Group, a Queenstown-based operator of six venues including Margo’s, Odd Saint, Little Blackwood and the Minus 5° ICE BAR, has built a reputation as an employer of choice by investing heavily in staff development, wellbeing, career progression opportunities while providing structured recognition programmes to foster a supportive, people-first environment.
IFLY Queenstown is owned and operated by Matt and Amy Wong, long-time tourism professionals.
Their business has always sought to balance commercial success with genuine care for people and community.
The iFLY Whakamana Youth Empowerment Programme is a collaborative initiative that uses adventure tourism to build confidence, wellbeing, and resilience in local
youth.
Developed with educators and community partners, the full-day experience combines learning, teamwork and the thrill of flight to help tamariki develop communication
skills, self-belief and a sense of belonging.
The programme has empowered over 500 participants since 2021.
PIVOTAL Point Charitable Trust was founded in 2021 with a clear vision: every child should have access to the help they need to maximise their learning potential, without financial or systemic barriers standing in the way.
In just four years, Pivotal Point has introduced a pioneering, community-wide model — the first of its kind in New Zealand — transforming Queenstown’s response to
neurodivergence through a community-focused approach delivered through support and navigation, screening, education and funding.
45South is strengthening the Whakatipu region by connecting philanthropy with community needs and opportunities.
Through innovative funding models and investment of philanthropic gifts, it creates sustainable, long-term impact.
Its flagship initiative, Impact100 Whakatipu, a women’s collective giving circle, launched in 2020, brings women together to fund projects making a difference to our
community.
By the end of 2025, it will have granted more than $1.1 million to organisations tackling the Whakatipu Basin’s biggest challenges.
Stu Clark
STU Clark is the definition of a Good Sort — a man of quiet strength, integrity and unwavering commitment to his community.
As founder of Lakes Building Co. and Rifters, he leads with humility and heart, creating workplaces that inspire excellence while championing sustainability and local pride.
From supporting youth sport and mentoring apprentices to building award-winning homes and a world-class gin brand, he exemplifies leadership, integrity and resilience, all while lifting those around him and putting Queenstown on the map in more ways than one.
Jenni Powell
JENNI Powell is an inspiring leader, grounded in integrity, empathy and action.
She is the general manager at Both Brains and a driving force behind their success.
Beyond her professional excellence, Powell positively impacts the community — she founded Queenstown Women in Tech (now 200-plus members strong), leads mentoring circles empowering local women, co-ordinates Tech Week events, mentors through Business Mentors NZ, and volunteers with Whakatipu Meals on Wheels.
Powell lifts people up, removes barriers, and creates platforms for others to thrive, quietly transforming workplaces, clients and the wider Queenstown tech community.
Michael Sly
IT’S hard to overstate Michael Sly’s impact on Queenstown.
A quiet force for good, Sly has spent years turning big environmental problems into practical, circular solutions that strengthen both community and planet.
He co-founded NZSIPs, putting Central Lakes on the map for sustainable building materials, and launched Wilding & Co to transform invasive wilding pines into high-value essential oils — creating jobs and global partnerships in the process.
Through ventures like Waste to Wilderness and Mr Chippy, Sly has built an ecosystem that diverts huge volumes of organic waste from landfill, capturing carbon and enriching local soils instead.
Generous with his time, expertise and resources, he supports groups like Sustainable Queenstown and KiwiHarvest, welcomes international visitors, and inspires others
to follow his lead.
Sly doesn’t seek recognition, he just quietly gets on with making the world better.
Richard Thomas
RICHARD Thomas has made an exceptional contribution to Queenstown through his leadership, integrity, and unwavering commitment to the community.
A former chairman of the Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce and now chairman of both Destination Queenstown and the Queenstown Lakes Community
Housing Trust, he works tirelessly behind the scenes to strengthen the region’s future.
Whether mentoring emerging leaders, offering guidance, or supporting collaboration across sectors, Thomas leads with vision and care, helping Queenstown thrive.
