2026 Awards Programme
The Holiday Parks New Zealand Awards celebrate individual and business success across our industry. For finalists and winners, the Awards can help raise the profile of your operation, enhance staff morale and provide recognition for your achievements from your industry peers.
This year, based on feedback, we’ve reviewed the awards and the criteria – check out the options to enter below. We will have a panel of judges who will review the applications and decide the finalists and winners. Want to know who won in 2025? Check out the images here
The winners will be announced at the Holiday Parks New Zealand Awards Dinner on Thursday 30 July 2026 at the Atrium Hamilton, following Holiday Parks Conference & Expo 2026.
Don’t forget to vote now and help us recognise the trade members who make a real difference to our parks! Nominate up to 3 trade members, telling us a little about why they deserve to win.
9 JUNE
Entries close for the Awards
EARLY JULY
Finalists announced
30 JULY
Come together and celebrate our industry
Individual Awards
Park Star Award Sponsored by Tasman Holiday Parks
Sponsored by Tasman Holiday Parks Group
The Park Star Award is an individual award that recognises an outstanding holiday park staff member who is making a real impact at their park. Open to all park roles from management and operations to reception, maintenance, and housekeeping.
This award celebrates the people who bring energy, dedication, and heart to the visitor experience every day. They actively seek to grow and develop in their role. This role is by nomination – a colleague, employer or wider industry connection.
Industry Champion (Tonnie Spijkerbosch Memorial) Award
The Tonnie Spijkerbosch Memorial Industry Champion Award recognises an outstanding holiday park leader/s who is/are driving real impact, both within their park and across the wider industry. Open to individuals or couples in leadership or supporting roles, this award celebrates those who are shaping the success of their park and actively contributing to the future of the holiday park sector.
This award is in memory of Tonnie Spijkerbosch, who was a visionary in New Zealand’s holiday park industry, known for his boundless creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and deep commitment to sustainability.
A Dutch immigrant and master plumber, Tonnie co-founded Queenstown Holiday Park Creeksyde in 1988 – New Zealand’s first dedicated campervan park. His imaginative “plumbing art” and eco-conscious designs turned the park into a celebrated destination. Tonnie’s legacy lives on through his inventive spirit, his generosity, and the countless lives he touched in the tourism and holiday park community.
Outstanding Service Award
The Holiday Park Industry Outstanding Service Award is the sector’s most prestigious individual award.
It recognises an individual’s outstanding contribution to New Zealand Holiday Parks over many years.
Entries for this award are by nomination only. The recipient is selected from nominees by representatives of the HPNZ board.
Business Awards
Park sizes are classified as
- Small 1 – 80 sites
- Medium – 81 – 150 sites
- Large – 151+ sites
This is based on a hireable site at your park. If you have 20 cabins, 10 motel units and 20 powered sites, it would be 50 sites.
Sustainable Commitment Award, sponsored by Tourism Industry Aotearoa
Sponsored by Tourism Industry Aotearoa
This award seeks to recognise innovations and initiatives by Holiday Parks that contribute to economic community, visitor and/or environmental sustainability.
Community Engagement Award, sponsored by Big Save Furniture
Sponsored by Big Save Furniture
The Community Engagement Award recognises a Holiday Park that actively supports and connects with its local communities through thoughtful, sustained, and impactful initiatives.
Improvement Award (Small, Medium, Large)
This award celebrates park operators who have made meaningful improvements to their park – whether through process change, interior design, layout adjustments, or facility upgrades. It recognizes that even small changes can significantly enhance the guest experience and overall park appeal.
There will be one winner for each park size – Small (1–80 sites), Medium (81–150 sites), or Large (151+ sites).
As a general guide: if your project/s involved significant construction, trade contractors, or replacement of core infrastructure, the Development Award is likely the better fit. If your project was focused on improving or refreshing existing spaces and operations, consider the Improvement Award.
If you are unsure about which award to enter, please contact the Holiday Parks NZ team to discuss. Judges reserve the right to move entries between categories based on their assessment.
Development Award (Small, Medium, Large)
This award recognises excellence in new builds or significant investments in the development or refurbishment of a holiday park. This may include new accommodation, significantly upgraded facilities, or transformative infrastructure projects that enhance the guest experience and operational sustainability.
There will be one winner for each park size – Small (1–80 sites), Medium (81–150 sites), or Large (151+ sites).
As a general guide: if your project/s involved significant construction, trade contractors, or replacement of core infrastructure, the Development Award is likely the better fit. If your project was focused on improving or refreshing existing spaces and operations, consider the Improvement Award.
If you are unsure about which award to enter, please contact the Holiday Parks NZ team to discuss. Judges reserve the right to move entries between categories based on their assessment.
Park of the Year Award (Small, Medium, Large), sponsored by RESCO
Sponsored by RESCO
This award recognises a business that has the wellbeing of communities at its heart, is representative of our culture and values, has an excellent visitor experience at its core, nurtures the wider environment and is brought to life by a profitable enterprise that shows a high level of responsibility. This is an all-round award.
There will be one winner for each park size – Small (1–80 sites), Medium (81–150 sites), or Large (151+ sites).
Supreme Holiday Park Industry Award
This award is selected from the business awards – it is the overall winner. This award acknowledges a holiday park that not only excels in all areas of operation but also leaves a lasting impact on the industry and its community.
2026 Terms & Conditions - Awards Entry
- You must be a current financial member of Holiday Parks NZ to enter these awards.
- You must complete an online entry form for each of the awards you wish to enter.
- For individual awards, you can only enter yourself or an employee.
- For business awards, you can only enter your own organisation.
- Entry for the Outstanding Service Award is by nomination only.
- The Holiday Parks NZ Team or judges’ may make the decision to move applications in to different categories if appropriate. We will advise you if this is an action being made to your entry.
- The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- Previous Award Winners and Finalists: If you are a previous award winner or finalist, you can enter the Holiday Parks New Zealand Awards.
- If you were a winner or finalist in 2025 and are eligible to enter into the same award category again for 2026, your entry must clearly demonstrate significant improvements or changes compared to your 2025 submission. Please ensure you provide this information in your entry form.
- Current employees of Holiday Parks New Zealand (HPNZ) cannot enter or be nominated for the awards.
- All finalists and winners agree to media coverage. All entry information is held on a commercial-in-confidence basis. No entry information will be shared or distributed to third parties (with the exception of the judging panel). Where an award sponsor requests information to promote the finalists or winner in their category, HPNZ reserves the right to provide them with the organisational statement provided on entry. Note, some sponsors may be invited to be involved on judging panels. Entrant’s contact details may be provided to the Awards sponsors.
- HPNZ reserves the right to cancel the Awards programme or individual award categories within the programme.
- HPNZ reserves the right to remove an entrant or entry for risk of reputational damage or events that occur between entry and awards night that necessitate action by HPNZ.
- The entrant (individual or organisation) confirms that they are not under investigation nor have been prosecuted by any New Zealand or international statutory body (for example Accident Compensation Corporation, New Zealand Police, Health and Disability Commission, Inland Revenue Department, Immigration, WorkSafe NZ, Commerce Commission or other). If this is to be found untrue, it will result in the entrant being removed from the Award category.
- HPNZ may choose to conduct their own research from public sources on entrants. This may result in information being provided for judges consideration as part of the judging process.
If you have any questions, please contact info@holidayparks.co.nz