Sustainability & Impact Audits
Most organisations working in tourism and business events are doing something on sustainability. Very few have a clear, honest picture of where they actually stand.
That gap, between activity and understanding is where strategy stalls, reporting gets difficult, and good intentions don't translate into real change.
The Tenth Letter offers two structured diagnostic audits, built specifically for the visitor economy and the business events sector. Each one gives you an honest assessment of your current position, scored across five dimensions of sustainability and impact, and a prioritised roadmap for what to do next.
These aren't checklists. They're strategic diagnostics grounded in your sector, your context, and what genuinely matters right now.
Tourism Sustainability Audit
Ideal for tourism operators, accommodation providers, inbound tour operators, and industry bodies
Tourism operators are under growing pressure to demonstrate that sustainability is real, not performed. Travellers are asking harder questions. Accreditation bodies are raising the bar. Funders want evidence, not intention.
But knowing you need to act and knowing where to start are two different things.
The Tourism Sustainability Audit gives you a structured, independent assessment of where your organisation sits across five dimensions of sustainable practice and a clear roadmap for what to strengthen next.
What We Assess
01 · Commitment - leadership, policy, and the intent behind your sustainability direction
02 · Operations - environmental practice including energy, water, waste, and supply chain
03 · Guest experience - how sustainability shows up for your visitors and shapes their stay
04 · Storytelling - your ability to articulate impact honestly and with confidence
05 · Restoration - your contribution to the health of the place, community, and culture you operate in
Each dimension is scored on a four-level maturity scale: Emerging, Developing, Practising, Restoring and mapped in your written report alongside a prioritised action roadmap.
The audit is aligned with Qualmark and the Tourism Sustainability Commitment (NZ), and draws on the values of the Tiaki Promise throughout.
What's included
A structured intake questionnaire completed before we meet
A 90-minute discovery session
An 10–12 page written report with maturity scores, gap analysis, and action roadmap
A 60-minute debrief session to walk through findings together
Delivered over four weeks from confirmed start date
Business Events Impact Audit
Ideal for corporate sustainability teams, C-suite leaders, procurement teams, and in-house event functions
Business events carry a measurable sustainability footprint. Most organisations running or procuring events know this but far fewer have a coherent picture of what that footprint looks like, or what they're actually doing about it.
The Business Events (MICE) Impact Audit gives your organisation a structured, independent baseline; one that serves both the sustainability or ESG team seeking rigour, and the board or C-suite seeking confidence.
What We Assess
01 · Strategic alignment - how your events programme connects to organisational purpose and ESG commitments
02 · Environmental practice - emissions, waste, procurement, and supply chain accountability
03 · People & place legacy - social, cultural, and community impact, including how Te Ao Māori values are reflected in event design (Aotearoa NZ context)
04 · Measurement & reporting — your ability to evidence, quantify, and communicate impact
05 · Supplier accountability - how sustainability requirements flow through your event supply chain
Each dimension is scored on a four-level maturity scale: Emerging, Developing, Practising, Transforming and mapped in your written report alongside a prioritised action roadmap.
The audit is aligned with ESG reporting and Scope 3 emissions frameworks, ISO 20121 (Sustainable Events Management), and PCMA/MPI industry standards.
What's included
A structured intake questionnaire completed before we meet
A 90-minute discovery session with your team
An 10–12 page written report with maturity scores, gap analysis, and action roadmap
A 60-minute debrief session to walk through findings with your team
Delivered over four weeks from confirmed start date
Not sure which audit is right for you?
If your work sits across both tourism and business events or you're not sure where to start, the best next step is a short conversation. There's no obligation, and no pitch. Just a genuine discussion about where you are and whether one of these audits is the right fit right now.
Working beyond the audit
The audits are where most engagements begin but they're not where all of them end. If you're looking for strategic consulting support across tourism, business events, or sustainability and impact more broadly, we work with clients on a bespoke basis depending on what's actually needed. That might mean taking findings from an audit further, working through a specific challenge, or providing ongoing strategic advice.
If that sounds like what you're looking for, get in touch and we can talk through what would be most useful.