Waka heading into stormy waters

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2011

Waka heading into stormy waters

Oh dear.... the plastic waka furore is really stirring up the muddy bottom of the pond. On one hand you have Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples defensively stating that Maori should be one of the first in line for the Rugby World Cup tourism spin-off instead of utterly left out as he believed they were during the Americas Cup and on the other, you have people like MP Shane Jones saying hang about, a) we can't afford this with the huge financial dent the Christchurch earthquake has left us all in and b)if it's a business proposition, then the iwi concerned, Ngati Whatua (o Orakei) should be shelling out the $2million for it and its furnishings itself.
It's a hard call and trying to sit on the fence is definitely an uncomfortable experience. Some have pointed out that we spent $33 million on the America's Cup, which is true - but not before we had won the thing first. That money was spent on the boat needed to defend it here in New Zealand, which we did successfully before losing it the second time around. The spin-off to that was huge, there is amazing money out there and our designers, sailors - our country, was given huge kudos for a very long time to come because of the win.
What would the spinoff be for the taxpayer who is expected to pay for a plastic waka-shaped restaurant and event hall?
And let's not forget that the democratic way of tendering this job out didn't happen; it was presented by both Ngati Whatua and Pita Sharples as a fait accompli, so as far as value for money is concerned, we've gotta lump that.
I'm of the belief that if tourists want to really feel the way Maori tradition is, they are best to toddle off down State Highway 2 to Rotorua - a two hour road trip that means nothing to most of our tourists and be educated by those who have been doing this for as long as there have been tourists. Rotorua will also host three games - so the opportunity is ample.
If Ngati Whatua want to do this, then fine - by all means go ahead. But I have a problem with both why I should be paying for it when they have funds of their own and let's face it, this IS a business proposition that the iwi alone will benefit financially from and also from a tourism viewpoint, a tag the iwi is using to hold up on the possibility of dragging it around the world - that is the job of Tourism New Zealand, not a local iwi who it seems to me, is simply using that as a justification.
If I as a taxpayer was going to benefit from this, I might look at it. But I already have the venues for the intangibles of tourism at hand and because the hard cash that walks through its doors will be for the iwi to count and bank - there is no benefit to me at all here, that I can see.