Franz Josef Glacier Guides
"Our hosting systems have been developed so as to be able to offer a personalised appraisal of pre-existing medical conditions, fitness or answer questions in order to be able to maximize the safety and enjoyment our clients experience while out exploring the ice."
Gabe Wilkinson, Assistant Operations Manager
Our Business
Franz Josef Glacier Guides is an internationally recognised guiding operation. Established in 1990, we pride ourselves on providing the most incredible glacier experience. From the eco-valley walk, half-day walk, full-day hike and heli-hike options there is a trip to suit almost any ability.
We employ 50 plus guides during the summer season and guide all year round on the Franz Josef Glacier. The steep, fast flowing glacial terrain, west coast weather and the large numbers of visitors we guide make for a challenging work environment where safety systems are paramount.
Safety system strengths
We are particularly proud of the medical disclosure/client briefing and hosting processes and the operational morning meeting parts of our safety system.
We guide relatively high numbers of inexperienced clients from around the world in glacial terrain which can be challenging. We understand that all clients need to be fully informed about the activity they have chosen to undertake so they can make the appropriate decisions when considering a trip.
Our hosting systems have been developed so as to be able to offer a personalised appraisal of pre-existing medical conditions, fitness or answer questions in order to be able to maximize the safety and enjoyment our clients experience while out exploring the ice.
Every morning all staff on duty gather for a 10-minute operational meeting. Topics covered are health and safety, daily weather conditions, ice conditions, track and trail changes, hazard identification, scheduling, rostering and changes to processes.
It works well for us because
The medical disclosure and client briefing and hosting processes works well for our team because our system quickly identifies clients that may have conditions or pre-existing injuries and escalate them to our senior team.
We then take a few moments to appraise the client’s needs one on one. This may mean a change in the type of trip in order to allow the client to be guided comfortably and safely.
We are able to host large numbers of clients while retaining the ability to personalise the process as needed in order to make decisions with a client that best meets their needs.
Our daily operational morning meeting assists with mitigating hazards by keeping all staff informed of relevant operational information.
We provide access to a ’meeting journal’ which is referred to on a daily basis in order to ensure that all staff can share information or ideas. Taking this time to meet face to face and discuss the setup of the day maximises our ability to organise and respond effectively to issues like weather, glacier hazards, training and health and safety needs.
Contact
Gabe Wilkinson, Assistant Operations Manager
Email: gabriel.wilkinson@ngaitahu.iwi.nz
Phone: 03 752 0257
Mobile: 021 242 4079