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Download AudioA Tūranga iwi is turbo-charging its settlement with the purchase of a petrol station.
Ngāi Tāmanuhiri Tūtū Poroporo Trust chief executive Doug Jones says the Manutuke business was owned by one family for 75 years, and when it came up for sale it seemed a good chance to create community value.
The petrol has been kept cheap, and the iwi has boosted the grocery side of the business so whānau don’t have to go into Gisborne for day to day shopping, particularly when there are Covid restrictions.
“It’s more than a petrol station, particularly for our communities in Manutuke and Muriwai. It’s more of a hub. It allows us to focus on creating value in a wider sense, so we can hire local staff and create more enterprises off it. At the moment we are looking to lease out the workshop, we are hopefully enticing some kai carts to come along,” Mr Jones says.
He says Ngāi Tāmanuhiri’s 2011 settlement was relatively small, so after initially investing in farms it is now looking for ways to add more value and create jobs for the community.
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