Assessment terms.

An I Love New Zealand assessment is an independent, editorial, opinion-based assessment of the experience encountered by our assessor during a particular visit within the agreed assessment window.

It reflects that specific experience. It is not a comprehensive audit of every product, employee, facility or service the business operates.

An assessment is not government accreditation, an official hotel star classification, a safety, food-safety, regulatory or compliance audit, an insurance or financial review, or a consultancy engagement.

It does not guarantee the experience any future customer will receive.

The agreed total assessment price covers the assessment service and the associated costs of conducting the visit. These may include professional assessment time, assessor time, travel, transport, accommodation, meals, bookings, experiences, activities and other reasonable costs necessary to conduct the assessment.

Payment is for the assessment service only. Payment does not purchase, influence or guarantee a positive assessment, recommendation, publication, editorial coverage, or Bronze, Silver or Gold recognition.

I Love New Zealand is not required to provide an itemised internal cost breakdown.

The business agrees to an assessment window of approximately three months rather than an exact date, and I Love New Zealand retains flexibility to conduct the assessment at any time within that window.

Assessor scheduling information is not disclosed. Where both parties agree, the window may be rescheduled.

Five categories are scored from 1 to 10: Guest Journey, People & Service, Product & Standards, Value & Positioning and X Factor. The total out of 50 converts to a score out of 100.

The system may suggest recognition based on the score, but the final recognition decision — including awarding no recognition — remains entirely within I Love New Zealand's editorial discretion.

Businesses receive their five category scores, their overall score out of 100, any recognition awarded and any optional Star Employee recognition.

Detailed assessor notes, photographs or evidence files, internal assessment records, written commentary, consultancy reports and justification of individual scores are not provided.

Businesses may notify us of objective factual errors. Assessment opinions and recognition decisions are not subject to negotiation.

Bronze, Silver and Gold recognition is valid for 12 months from the award date and does not renew automatically. A new assessment is required for new recognition.

Recognition may be suspended, withdrawn or removed from public display — for example on closure, change of ownership, materially changed circumstances, misrepresentation or dispute.

After expiry, suspension or revocation the business must stop representing the recognition as current, including on its own website, printed material and social media.

If I Love New Zealand is unable to conduct a paid assessment within the agreed window and no replacement window can be agreed, the assessment price is refunded.

Where costs have already been irrecoverably committed on the business's behalf (for example non-refundable bookings), those committed costs may be deducted from any refund.

Once an assessment has been conducted, the assessment service has been delivered and the price is not refundable — including where no recognition is awarded.

Payments are processed by our payment provider. I Love New Zealand does not collect or store card details. Payment is confirmed by our payment provider server-side.

Assessments processed in test mode are clearly labelled TEST and are not genuine commercial transactions.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, I Love New Zealand's total liability in connection with an assessment is limited to the assessment price paid.

Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded, including any applicable consumer guarantees. Where the business acquires the assessment for business purposes, the parties agree that consumer guarantees legislation does not apply to the extent the law allows this.

These terms are governed by New Zealand law.

Paid listings and featured or sponsored placements are separate commercial products and provide no scoring or recognition advantage of any kind.

This wording is provisional and will be reviewed and finalised before the assessment programme opens commercially.