February 27, 2019
Aurere Waka Centre gets green light from PGF
Sir Hekenukumai Busby’s vision of a centre to pass on the traditions of waka building and celestial navigation have received a big boost from the Provincial Growth Fund.
It is putting in $4,6 million to complete planning and construction of the Kupe Waka Centre at Aurere at the southern end of Doubtless Bay.
Announcing the funding in Kaitaia this morning,
Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis said Sir Hek is truly an icon of the far north, and the centre will see his knowledge preserved and also bring people from both New Zealand and overseas.
Also getting the green light is a $3 million multi-use sports centre in Kaitaia.
There’s money to investigate building a barge site at Te Mingi to transport logs to the Whangārei port, and three iwi, Aupouri, Ngāti Kahu, and Te Rarawa, will get support for the next year to scope development projects.
Te Hiku Water Solutions got a $100,000 grant to investigate a water storage scheme to support high value horticultural production in the area.
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