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Crossings Hokianga & Footprints Waipoua Newsletter

Previous editions of the Newsletter can be found at the bottom of this page.

Adobe Acrobat version: October-December 2009 (137kb)

Current Edition: October-December 2009

The silly season has arrived. The support that we have received in 2009 has been much appreciated. We look forward to a new and another successful 2010.

New Kauri National Park for Northland
Conservation Minister Tim Groser has asked the New Zealand Conservation Authority (NZCA) to investigate the creation of a new National Park in Northland. "I have formally asked the NZCA to begin its investigation and consultation process towards giving National Park status to the conservation land surrounding the great Kauri forests of Northland. The proposed National Park in the Waipoua Forest, north of Dargaville, is a pristine forest area with outstanding natural, historic and recreational values. The area includes the magnificent Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest) - New Zealand's largest known living Kauri tree - and Trounson Kauri Park which has a magnificent dense stand of Kauri. "A visit to Tane Mahuta is part of the iconic kiwi experience for visitors and tourists alike. It is has been estimated that only 2 per cent of our Kauri remains - most of that in the forests of Northland. There are currently no National Parks in the area and this Government is committed to protecting this amazing landscape," Mr Groser said.

The Kauri forests of Northland are also home to several threatened species, such as North Island brown kiwi, kukupa (NZ pigeon), pekapeka (bats) and Kauri snails. Investigating the proposed new National Park may take up to a year and includes significant consultation with the tangata whenua, Te Iwi o Te Roroa, local authorities, iwi groups and the public. For more information visit: Department of Conservation.

Kauri Tree Planting in the Waipoua
Footprints is now supporting and promoting the Waipoua forest Oranga Whenua (Sustaining the Land) programme. Oranga Whenua is an ecological strategy to restore, protect and share traditional lands to its original state. The Te Roroa Iwi (the local indigenous people) had their lands returned to them after a 150 year struggle against the Crown through the Treaty of Waitangi claim process. Oranga Whenua is a strategy that is based on sound ecological principals to claim back the indigenous forest that was cleared over 100 years ago. Much of the land during that time has been used for commercial forestry. Te Roroa has an environmental management team that operates around the local area to assist in pest control and weed invasion. You are invited to work with Te Roroa to conserve and restore traditional lands to their past glory and ecological role. We provide a range of planting opportunities for you to contribute to the restoration process. When you plant your tree you are given a GPS coordinate so that you can zoom in from anywhere in the world and watch your contribution and the progress made. There are also quarterly updates on the website www.teroroa.iwi.nz so the global community can watch the progress from ex-forestry weed invested whenua to emergent kauri forest. The Te Roroa Mission is to continue to set an example and adopting a high standard of conservation, restoration and ecotourism, our generation will serve the next well in protecting this heritage; provide a message of inspiration to international visitors to take home, and provide an additional ecological attraction."

New 48seater Boat in the Hokianga
Pete Clark from Hokianga Express recently added a 48-seater vessel to his fleet. This will certainly add another dimension to the Hokianga tourism offering and we for one will be doing all we can do to support Pete's significant investment. Check out the following link www.hokiangaexpress.webs.com for more information.

New Hokianga Tourism Experiences
Sandtrails Hokianga: www.sandtrailshokianga.co.nz.

Fern River Horse Treks: www.fernriver.co.nz.

Te Roroa Oranga Whenua Project (kauri tree planting) and Waipoua Accommodation & Camping: www.teroroa.iwi.nz/camp.

Dive Tutukaka Birthday
Footprints and Crossings would like to congratulate the team at Dive Tutukaka for recently celebrating their tenth birthday. What a classy operation. Well done.

Te Hana te Ao Marama Opening
'Tis the month for congratulations, Te Hana te Ao Marama recently opened their Art Gallery, Information Centre and Radio Station. I know Jo and her team have been working incredibly hard. What an awesome day it was. You'll find Jo and her team right next door to the gas station in Te Hana. Stop in and say hello.

Whale Watch Kaikoura Success
Congratulations to the TEAM at Whalewatch Kaikoura for winning the top award at the "Oscars" of Responsible Tourism in London. If this is not inspirational I'm not sure what is.

Shane and Friends visit Yakushima
Shane, Bet, Wayne and Alex visited Yakushima Island. Some people have all the luck although I understand that a lot of work was undertaken.

Rugby Ball in Japan
Everybody who visited the Rugby Ball in Japan recently would have seen the video that is played inside the ball was opened by the joining of two trees highlighting the Family of Ancient Trees Relationship signed in the Waipoua forest in April of this year.

Getaway Travel Programme
The Hokianga and Waipoua hosted the Getaway Travel Programme recently. Watch out for a TV near you.

Hokianga Tourism Workshops
The Te Hua o Te Kawariki Trust represented by Marae located in Pakanae, Kokohuia, Waiwhatwhata and Waimamaku recently organised Tourism Workshops in the Hokianga facilitated by Koro Carman. The three workshops spread out over three months were:

- August - Tourism: An Introduction
- September - Tourism: Key Partners
- October - Tourism: It's about Quality and Developing a Plan

The primary focus of these workshops included providing an insight and understanding of TOURISM the opportunities and challenges that the industry presents new entrants, interested parties and communities, to learn tips and hints from industry leaders, to increase referrals and to listen to real stories from real operators. The opportunity for locals to network with guest speakers from Wellington, Tauranga, Coromandel, Auckland, Te Hana, Kaipara, Whangarei and Paihia proved to be invaluable.

The Te Hua o te Kawariki Trust would like to sincerely thank all those who participated and contributed to ensuring that these workshops were a huge success and a real opportunity to encourage business and nurture grass roots tourism in Hokianga and also the Ministry of Social Development for their contribution to the creation of a Business Development Manager position.

Tiaho Trust Dove's Tail Tourism
We have been working with Tiaho Trust www.tiaho.org.nz and their tourism arm Dove's Tail Tourism. It is a boutique organisation that works alongside tourism operators to offer a hassle free, seamless and enjoyable experience for a range of travellers with specific needs. Dove's Tail tourism has a unique focus on people who need that little bit of extra care and attention when on holiday. We strive to make people's travel experience both memorable and comfortable. We provide access to hotels, restaurants and tour services that have received Dove's Tail training and have been assessed to ensure they can successfully cater to a wide range of needs - including wheel chair access and people with specific medical requirements.

Walking in the Realm of Gods would like to acknowledge the recent efforts of Delanie Brown and Anthony Wilson two leaders in their field who were involved in two significant national and international.

Delanie Brown, the carver of a 9 metre Waharoa to be unveiled in Taupo at first light tomorrow wants it to be a unifying force in the community. The carving, commissioned by Contact Energy to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Wairakei power project, tells the history of the region and geothermal energy's part in it. Delanie Brown says he incorporated the words of his Tuwharetoa ancestors into the totara work, including the story about the ancestor who called geothermal activity into being. The waharoa at the entrance to the cenotaph has involved Maori, the Taupo district council, the RSA, religious faiths and Contact Energy.

A multi-million dollar venture is putting Northcote's Awataha Marae on the international map. It has signed a cooperation agreement with a major Chinese company to open up tourism opportunities for both China and New Zealand. The venture will see Awataha building a Maori Cultural Village on a two-hectare site in Qufu City - in China's northeast province of Shandong - the birthplace of Confucius. Awataha leader and spokesman Anthony Wilson says the agreement "secures for the Maori people and New Zealand a stake in a $200 million tourism development project in the city". "This is an important deal for us. It's a great big project and it will create not only job and training opportunities but also open up a new gateway for Maori and New Zealand culture to flourish globally," he says. Mr Wilson was in Qufu recently to formally sign the agreement with his counterparts from the New Zealand Gardens Qufu. The company is building the New Zealand Gardens theme park at the Shimenshan Scenic National Forest Park north of Qufu. The 670ha development will feature the Maori village as the main gateway to the park, tipped to attract millions of tourists from China and around the world. The park will have a 54-hole golf course, a dairy farm, organic orchards, vineyard and winery, equestrian club, hotels, luxury villas and spa resort and an international school. "The level of investment being poured into this project is in excess of two billion Chinese yuan or around $200m. "To be part of a massive development with limitless potential is historic for Awataha and it signals a new dawn for the Maori people," he says. Awataha's part of the project would be to build and maintain the Maori village. It will erect an exact replica of its wharenui or meeting house on the Shore and build a 36-metre tall waharoa or gateway into the complex. "The cultural protocol that we've agreed upon provides that everything comes through the village," he says. The gateway will be adorned with traditional carvings promoting the principle of kotahitanga or unity of people. He says Awataha is also able to leverage ownership of part of the village and become "stakeholders of the whole thing". "It also opens up a direct link between New Zealand, China and the world and provides a window for Maori culture and New Zealand in general," he says. The joint venture will be formally launched in Wellington with a powerhouse delegation from China coming over for the ceremony.

Te Puia visit the Waipoua and Hokianga
We are glad that all went well recently Te Taru and hope that this continues.

George Hickton and Yumiko Nakayama Depart
We would like to farewell George and Yumiko and thank them for their support. We trust that your new path will be enjoyable and rewarding. Many thanks for everything.

As we say farewell to George we also take this opportunity to welcome Kevin Bowler who has not officially started yet.

Adam Turner
I would like to thank Adam Turner from Not A Scooby (www.notascooby.com) who is our website designer and makes sure that everything on our site including our newsletters are posted. Many thanks for all your help Adam.

Thank You to Our TEAM
On behalf of the Footprints Waipoua and Crossings Hokianga Directors and Management I would like to thank our staff for their perseverance and persistence during 2009. Let's keep it up and realise our potential and objectives.

Seasons and Festive Greetings from the Footprints Waipoua & Crossings Hokianga TEAMS.

Previous Editions

bullet July-September 2009 (Adobe Acrobat - 83kb)
bullet April-June 2009 (Adobe Acrobat - 119kb)
bullet January-March 2009 (Adobe Acrobat - 74kb)
bullet October-December 2008 (Adobe Acrobat - 134kb)
bullet July-September 2008 (Adobe Acrobat - 96kb)
bullet April-June 2008 (Adobe Acrobat - 76kb)
bullet January-March 2008 (Adobe Acrobat - 84kb)
bullet November-December 2007 (Adobe Acrobat - 86kb)
bullet September-October 2007 (Adobe Acrobat - 118kb)
bullet July-August 2007 (Adobe Acrobat - 111kb)
bullet April-June 2007 (Adobe Acrobat - 968kb)
bullet January-March 2007 (Adobe Acrobat - 84kb)