Kaitiakitanga – our promise to the moana
Spend enough time underwater on a single breath and you can't help but fall in love with what you see. Caring for it is part of every course, every boat day and every booking. Here's how we do it, and how you can help.
The Tiaki Promise
We ask every guest to make the Tiaki Promise with us. Tiaki means to care for people and place.
While travelling in New Zealand I will:
Care for land, sea and nature, treading lightly and leaving no trace.
Travel safely, showing care and consideration for all.
Respect culture, travelling with an open heart and mind.
Find out more at tiakinewzealand.com.
How we live it in the water
- Look, don't touch. We never touch, chase or feed marine life, and we take extra care in the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve.
- Reef-safe sunscreen only, plus wetsuits and sun hats, so fewer chemicals go into the water.
- Small groups of 2–4 per instructor. It's safer for you and gentler on the places we dive.
- Take only what you need. When we teach kai gathering, we follow the rules and local rāhui, and take only what we'll eat.
- Leave it better. If we see rubbish, we take it home, and we invite you to do the same.
Every booking plants trees
A portion of every booking supports Ko Waitangi Te Awa Trust, who plant native trees along the riparian margins of the Waitangi River catchment, alongside the marae of the awa. Healthier rivers mean cleaner water reaching the Bay of Islands, where we dive. From the mountains to the sea, it's all connected.
Restoring rimurimu (seaweed forests)
For around ten years we've worked with the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, and we sponsor and support Love Rimurimu, their project restoring Aotearoa's seaweed and kelp forests. Kelp forests are nurseries for fish, shelter for kōura and pāua, and one of the ocean's great carbon stores.
Water safety for our communities
Through Te Wheke Moana, supported by Water Safety New Zealand, we run koha (pay-what-you-can) freedive sessions, community wānanga and water safety days in schools across Te Taitokerau. We're also training local kaiako (instructors) so every community can teach its own people, in its own waters.
How we choose who we work with
We choose local suppliers and partners first, and we look for people who share our values: boat operators with good environmental practice, local growers for our snack platters, and New Zealand businesses wherever we can. Buying local supports our community and cuts the emissions from moving things around.
Measuring our footprint
We're a small operator with a small footprint, but we still measure it. We're setting a carbon baseline this year, focused on boat fuel, vehicle travel and studio power, and we'll share our reduction targets here.
Accredited and accountable
Freedive Aotearoa holds a Qualmark Sustainable Tourism Business award, is AdventureMark certified and is a signatory to the Tourism Sustainability Commitment. You can read about how we keep you safe on our Health & Safety page.
Have an idea for a project, or want to get your hands dirty with us? Email info@freedive.co.nz. We'd love to hear from you.