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The new chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa says a $37 million Provincial Grown Fund boost for Whakatane is a welcome relief for the town after the blow to its economy from the Whakaari-White Island eruption.
The PGF is backing three projects from the Whakatāne Regeneration Programme jointly developed by the rūnanga and Whakatāne District Council.
They include a new boat harbour on 10 hectares of Māori freehold land, revitalisaiton of the riverfront, and the transformation of the Whakatāne Army Hall into a visitor hub.
Joe Harawira says emergency funding put in by the Government after November’s eruption had allowed businesses in the region to survive the sudden slump in tourism earnings, and the new pūtea will develop the infrastructure needed for future prosperity.
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