February 23, 2024
Pounamu Pathways laying a road for Poutini Māori prosperity
3 of 4 distinctly Māori-designed tourism cultural centres along the South Island’s west coast featuring impressive media and very-lifelike artworks by the world famous Wētā Workshop, opened their doors to the public, and are already thrilling visitors and boosting local economies.
The Pounamu Pathway chief executive Toko Kapea says telling the stories of the importance of pounamu-greenstone, to Māori history, has been a dream for Poutini-Ngai Tahu people for decades.
He says the aim was also to transform tourism on the West Coast-Te Tai o Poutini – and that’s already started to happen.
“The local runanga are picking up all of the frontline administration and operations of the businesses. So its really positive, and again it just highlights the employment opportunities for the coast. We have 14 staff in Māwhera alone, fulltime and part-time,” he says.
Toko Kapea says opportunities for regional tourism operators and accomodation providers are also growing, and they were pleased Regional Development Minister Shane Jones promised his continuing support, when he officially opened the venture last week.