Māori from the West Coast of the South Island are looking forward to their history and stories being given pride of place in a major new tourism initiative.
The first of four tourism hubs in the four year, $34 million dollar Pounamu Pathway project, will open next week in Māwhera-Greymouth.
Pathway chief executive Toko Kapea says the hubs feature strong Maori designs and art collections, and the stories of Poutini Ngai Tahu are being brought to life through the audio-visual magic of Wellington’s Weta Workshop.
“To make sure that we give them an opportunity via our creative partners, to express their stories in a new modern, audio-visual manner that will basically be an amazing showcase for cultural tourism in New Zealand,” he says.
Toko Kapea says the Pounamu Pathway will help visitors understand not only the relationship of tangata whenua to the wild landscape but the extensive trade in greenstone they had with North Island iwi before the arrival of Europeans.
