Our Sustainability Commitment
2026 Best of Wine Tourism — Award of Excellence, Sustainable Wine Tourism
Qualmark Silver Certified
At Electric Executive, sustainability is not a brand position — it is the foundation of everything we do. Guided by the Māori values of kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the land) and manaakitanga (care for guests and community), we operate Hawke's Bay's only fully electric luxury touring fleet, powered by one of the world's cleanest electricity grids. These values are not additions to the guest experience. They are the experience.
Electric Fleet & Clean Energy
Our fleet carries guests with zero tailpipe emissions across every tour and transfer:
BYD Atto 3 (PWF828) — electric
Mercedes-Benz eVito (QWB402) — electric
Tesla Model Y — electric
New Zealand's electricity grid runs at more than 90% renewable, with overnight charging periods regularly exceeding 96% renewable generation (Q4 2025: 96.4%). Every kilometre our EVs travel is powered almost entirely by wind, hydro, and geothermal energy.
Our diesel Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is retained for large-group and long-distance jobs that the current EV range cannot yet serve. Our long-term goal is a fully electric fleet as vehicle range continues to improve.
Emissions avoided: Using DEFRA 2024 UK Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors (0.237 kg CO₂e/km for an average medium diesel van), our electric kilometres deliver a direct, measurable reduction in tailpipe emissions compared to any equivalent diesel touring operation.
GHG Inventory
We hold an independently prepared GHG Inventory (Future Proof Projects, 2026), following the MfE Measuring Emissions Guide 2025 methodology across Scope 1, 2, and 3.
TY2024/25 (full year):
Scope 1 (direct combustion): 0 kg CO₂e
Scope 2 (EV grid charging): 935 kg CO₂e
Scope 3 (supplies, maintenance, logistics): 725 kg CO₂e
Total: 1,660 kg CO₂e
Note: Fleet was fully electric in FY2024/25. Scope 1 = zero. Formal inventory completed by Futureproof Projects using MfE 2025 and Thinkstep ANZ proxy factors.
TY2025/26 (8 months, July 2025–February 2026):
Scope 1 (diesel Sprinter, introduced this year): 1,805 kg CO₂e
Scope 2 (EV grid charging): 623 kg CO₂e
Scope 3 (indirect): 1,153 kg CO₂e
Total to date: 3,581 kg CO₂e
Our largest Scope 3 category is onboard guest supplies (packaged water, snacks — 498 kg CO₂e in FY24/25). We are actively working to reduce this through bulk provisioning and the elimination of single-use packaging. Our Scope 1 goal is to eliminate diesel use entirely as EV technology advances. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter joined the fleet in FY2025/26 to serve larger groups, introducing a Scope 1 diesel component for the first time. Eight months only (July 2025–February 2026). Source: Futureproof Projects GHG Inventory 2026.
TY 2026/27 — Live tracking (1 April–29 June 2026)
Tax Year tracking, ee Carbon Dashboard — updated continuously
Scope 1 (Sprinter diesel): 1,416 kg CO₂e
Scope 2 (BYD Atto 3 + eVito EV charging, NZ grid): 50 kg CO₂e
Scope 3 (transmission losses, subcontractor vehicles, AI processing): 442 kg CO₂e
Total to 29 June 2026: 1,908 kg CO₂e
Scope 3 breakdown:
Grid transmission and distribution losses (11.77% NZ grid loss rate): 6 kg CO₂e
V-Class diesel subcontractor: 416 kg CO₂e
Tesla Model Y subcontractor: 20 kg CO₂e
AI processing tools (Scope 3 Cat.1, USD 100/mo × EPA USEEIO 0.19): included
All figures accurate as at 29 June 2026.
Community Contributions
Sustainability extends beyond emissions. We contribute actively to the people and community of Te Matau a Māui — Hawke's Bay:
Hastings Girls' High School: We organise familiarisation (FAMIL) visits for Level 2 Tourism students, providing hands-on experience with regional accommodation and tourism operators — building the next generation of Hawke's Bay tourism professionals. Young Enterprise Scheme youth business mentoring and pitch development.
Lucknow Kindergarten: We provide our fleet for children's community outings on a regular basis.
Volunteer Fire Brigade: During Severe Weather Evacuations, we provided our van for community evacuations — putting the fleet at the service of the community in its time of greatest need.
Regional Partnerships & Economic Development
We work directly with Hawke's Bay producers and operators to grow regional tourism. For many of our partners, we are their first connection to international visitors.
Established partnerships: Arataki Honey, Te Mata Figs, Te Mata Estate, Craggy Range Winery, Rosewood Cape Kidnappers.
New-to-tourism producers, we are helping host visitors for the first time:
Bay Blueberries — developing a hosted farm tour
Six Barrel Soda — developing FIT and group visits
Origin Earth — developing FIT and group visits
Hawthorne Coffee Roastery — developing visitor hosting
First Hand Coffee — developing visitor hosting
Market access: We have brought Instagram influencers with a combined following of over 7 million to regional producers, and hosted international food and beverage importers seeking to bring Hawke's Bay products to their home markets.
Here are some of our recent social media Influencer Partners
Name | Handle | Followers | Country
Lydia Deane | @lydiasarunrat | 5M | Thailand
Matthew Deane Chanthavanij | @matthew.deane1 | 1M | Thailand
Filipus Adimas DC | @filipusadc | 615K | Indonesia
Tyen Rasif | @tyenrasif | 199K | Singapore
Febrian | @_febrian | 142K | Indonesia
Terrence Teo | @terrenceteo7 | 130K | Malaysia
Joanna Soh | @joannasohofficial | 119K | Malaysia
Katya Katkova | @eastlondonmornings | 113K | UK
Hayley Lee | @huinileee | 109K | Singapore
Cultural Grounding: Māori Values in the Guest Experience
Our sustainability story begins with place. Hawke's Bay — Te Matau a Māui — takes its name from the fish hook of the demigod Māui, the hook that hauled the North Island from the ocean and the same constellation that guided the earliest navigators to Aotearoa.
We are proud partners of Ātea a Rangi, the Māori celestial compass in Hawke's Bay. We are co-developing a visitor experience around this living taonga, connecting guests to a thousand years of celestial navigation knowledge. This is a living partnership with tangata whenua — not heritage tourism, but a relationship that continues to evolve.
Every guest journey is guided by two obligations:
Kaitiakitanga — we are guardians of this place, accountable to those who shaped it and those who will inherit it. Our electric fleet is the visible expression of that obligation.
Manaakitanga — to care for a guest is to lift their mana. Caring for the guest and caring for the land are not in tension. They are the same act.
We are also developing an artist studio tour in Haumoana village and actively supporting Cape Sanctuary with visitor experience development — broadening the regional offering while anchoring it in place.
Our Team
Our guides and drivers bring genuine professional depth to every encounter. Sustainability is enacted through expertise and care, not scripts.
Duncan Darroch — Owner. Trained winemaker (vintages at Villa Maria, Kumeu River) and experienced high school teacher.
Heather Clinton — Formerly operated Zest Food Tours Wellington. Manages our Local Food Producers Tours.
Bronnie Coory — Principal, Cape Kidnappers transfer host. Former charity general manager.
Dean Hannah — Former manager, HB Nissan. Cape Kidnappers and long-distance transfers.
Trevor Morrison — Former Chief Pilot, Napier Port. Corporate and golf transfers.
Philip Shambrook — Ex Royal Air Force Lieutenant and Park Run / Trail Run event director. Te Mata Peak excursions and admin.
Niki Willis — Decades of professional driving and wine tour hosting.
Leo Olsen — Exceptional host specialising in evening transfers.
Certifications & Memberships
Qualmark Silver — Sustainable Tourism Business (GSTC-recognised)
Best of Wine Tourism 2026 — Award of Excellence, Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices, Great Wine Capitals Global Network
Hawke's Bay Tourism
Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce
Tourism New Zealand — Tiaki Promise
Small Passenger Service Association (Taxi Federation)
Accessiblitly
At Electric Executive, we believe exceptional experiences should be available to every guest — regardless of mobility, age, or group composition. Our fully electric fleet has been purposefully configured to accommodate a wide range of visitor profiles, and our drivers are trained to provide attentive, unhurried assistance at every step of your journey.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Our flagship Sprinter has been upgraded (June 2026) to include a powered automatic mobility assistance step, significantly reducing the effort required to board and exit the vehicle.
Automatic mobility assistance step — power-deployed entry step for easier, safer boarding and alighting
Ergonomic door handles — mobility assistance grab handles fitted at the doorway for confident, supported entry
Wide, upright seating — generously proportioned seats with full armrests and lumbar support, designed for comfort across extended wine country itineraries
Spacious configuration — ample interior width and headroom to accommodate guests using walking aids
Mercedes-Benz eVito
The eVito offers a versatile and accessible configuration well suited to smaller groups and guests requiring additional personal support.
Dual-access doors — side entry doors on both sides of the vehicle allow a support person to assist from either position, enabling full hands-on assistance during boarding and alighting
Low entry step — a reduced step height minimises effort and physical strain for guests with limited mobility
Wide, upright seating — a single comfortable row with an upright seating position for ease of movement in and out of the vehicle
All Vehicles
Regardless of which vehicle your group travels in, the following are standard across the Electric Executive fleet:
Child safety seats, provided on request — New Zealand safety-rated car seats are available at no charge for infants and young children. While not a legal requirement for private hire vehicles in New Zealand, we provide them as a best-practice measure and to promote inclusivity.
Full boarding and alighting assistance — our drivers provide hands-on support to all guests, including those with limited mobility, ensuring safe, confident entry and exit at every stop.
Luggage handling — complete loading and unloading of luggage, bags, and personal equipment as standard.
Walking aid and mobility transfer support — drivers are experienced in assisting guests who use walkers, canes, or require physical support for transfers, with patience and discretion at all times.
Cruise ship guest experience — we regularly host guests arriving via cruise ship who present a range of mobility and health considerations. Our team is accustomed to adapting the pace and format of each experience to suit individual needs, ensuring every guest feels fully included.
A Note on Our Approach
Accessible tourism is not an afterthought at Electric Executive — it is central to how we operate. Hawke's Bay's world-class wine country should be open to all, and we are committed to ensuring that mobility or health considerations are never a barrier to an extraordinary experience.
We welcome enquiries about specific accessibility requirements prior to your booking. Please contact us directly so we can ensure the right vehicle, configuration, and level of support is arranged for your group.
All figures accurate as at 29 June 2026.