Cooks' Skews Sets Trend In Eco-Tourism

Impressive... Island Hopperss new office in the background.

A flow chart for Island Hopper's new headquarters marches impressively across the wall of his old shed cum-office.

Managing director Robert Skews nods, grins. "Look at the finish date." December 02, it reads. It is now September 2003.

Being months behind the due date is fairly normal for the Pacific, whether it's a packet of cornflakes or a multi-million dollar construction project. Not normal in this case are the construction methods that caused months of delays. These methods also cost Island Hopper an extra NZ$105,000. Skews couldn't be happier. "This is the entrance way here," he says, stepping over wooden trainers waiting for cement mix.

"This retail space here and upstairs," he says, raising an eyebrow, "is the office space."

Overlooking the country's only international airport, and across the road from the Cook Islands Parliament, the new headquarters is a jewel in a company with branches in French Polynesia and Samoa.

Skews is an amiable Kiwi and long-time island resident. Elected chairman of the South Pacific Tourism Council last year, this year he is about to become a leader of another kind: money saving eco-construction.

From top to bottom, Island Hopper's new HQ is designed to conserve energy and reduce its environmental footprint.

All around are solid concrete walls about a quarter of a metre thick. Or would be if not for the space-age Thermamass foam insulation in the middle. Kevlar pins hold the sheets of concrete together and the foam in place. As well as thick walls and insulation, there are solar panels powerful enough to run dozens of lights and computers.

Robert Skews...setting the trend in eco-construction.

Lights are wired to motion sensors.

"If you walk out of the office or fall asleep at the desk, then the lights go off," he says.

Skews knows a thing or two about falling asleep at work, starting Island Hopper in 1990 with just one other staff member and turning over NZ$2.4 million in the first 15 months.

He fondly recalls being woken up at 3am by his wife for a meal. He was sleeping on the office floor at the time in between processing inbound bookings.

Now Skews has 29 full time staff, four part timers and is moving off the ground floor to a new office upstairs.

"This is the new Portaloo," he says, using the staff joke about his old temporary Portacom office outside Island Hopper's main office. Air-conditioning comes off the mains but set to flush at night when air is already cooler.