Source: New Zealand Government
Minister of Tourism Stuart Nash and Associate Minister of Tourism Peeni Henare announced the sixth round of recipients of the Government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF), which supports local government to address tourism infrastructure needs.
This TIF round will invest $15 million into projects around the country. For the first time, TIF criteria considered infrastructure to support the delivery and management of Matariki events.
“I want to congratulate all of the successful applicants in this round of funding. The TIF plays a key role in helping to support infrastructure that many small towns and districts cannot afford by themselves. Since 2017, the TIF has supported more than 200 projects totalling $91.3 million, which have improved the quality of tourism infrastructure for residents and visitors alike,” Stuart Nash said.
“This year marks a new era in New Zealand with the first celebration of Matariki as a public holiday, after our Government passed legislation last year. I want to highlight a few of the successful TIF projects that support Matariki celebrations across our country, which will help Kiwis discover different ways of celebrating our newest public holiday.
“Residents and visitors to Waihi Beach can look forward to new stargazing platforms, which will link together a popular walking trail. The platforms will include a Matariki star compass and cultural information about the site.
“In Rotorua, the Te Tākinga Marae has been awarded funding to upgrade their facilities to include Matariki infrastructure – a viewing platform, signage, enhanced walkways, a new public toilet facility, and a Matariki-inspired Waharoa entranceway to the marae complex. This is a great way to get the community and visitors engaged with Matariki celebrations.
“I look forward to visiting all the different Matariki TIF projects that take advantage of the exceptionally pure night sky we have in New Zealand,” Stuart Nash said.
“To be able to fund some projects through the TIF that embrace Matariki is fantastic and will only further many New Zealanders journeys of discovery into Te Ao Māori world. Our hope is that the sowing of these seeds will play a big part in many future Matariki celebrations and inspire other communities to apply for TIF funding themselves,” Peeni Henare said.
Also lighting up the sky on Friday are the first Matariki events that received funding through the Creative and Cultural Events Incubator Fund, a subset initiative of the Major Events Fund from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. These events include:
- Tīrama Mai (Christchurch)
- Matariki Mackenzie (Mackenzie District)
- Feast Matariki (Various regions across Te Waipounamu)
The full list of Tourism Infrastructure Fund Round Six Recipients can be found here.
