$4.6m boost for waka centre
Sir Hekenukumai Busby’s vision of passing on the traditions of Maori navigation and watercraft will be showcased at a new centre in Northland.
The Kupe Waka Centre will be built in Aurere, at the southern end of Doubtless Bay, after the project received a $4.6 million grant from the Provincial Growth Fund.
It is set to be a working site for waka building, carving and learning, open to the public seven days a week.
Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis said it would preserve Busby’s knowledge which was an important part of New Zealand history.
‘‘Sir Hek is truly an icon of the Far North.
‘‘The Kupe Waka Centre will see his knowledge preserved and also bring people from both New Zealand and overseas to this incredible part of our country,’’ Davis said.
Busby is a Maori navigator and waka builder who has sailed over thousands of miles in the Pacific Ocean.
In 2012, he completed a 18,500-kilometre journey to Easter Island from New Zealand, a voyage which took four months to complete.
Busby has built 26 waka – a traditional Maori watercraft or canoe – and has received numerous accolades for his work.
He was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours and was knighted at an investiture ceremony in Waitangi last month.
Other projects in the region have also received Provincial Growth Fund grants, including a $3 million investment in a multiuse sports centre in Kaitaia.
Funding will also go to three iwi – Aupouri, Nga¯ti Kahu and Te Rarawa – to make progress on major projects, funding for preliminary investigations for a water storage scheme for the area and exploring the potential for a barge at Te Mingi to transport logs to Whangarei.
Davis said the future of Northland was looking bright with the Government’s latest investment in key community-led projects across the district.
‘‘There’s a lot of work being done in Tai Tokerau to drive economic growth and help improve the lives of local people.
‘‘This Government believes every New Zealander, no matter where they live, should share in a growing and prosperous economy,’’ he said.
Northland has been the largest recipient of the Government’s initiative to grow regional economies, with the latest announcement bringing the total Provincial Growth Fund investment in the region to $99.1 million.