Chairman’s Report

TE MĀNUKA TŪTAHI

THE HOUSE THAT CAME HOME

One of the things that differentiates Te Mānuka Tūtahi from other cultural tourism products, is that it is not actually a cultural tourism product. First and foremost, Te Mānuka Tūtahi is a revered cultural icon; a living, breathing Iwi treasure where our Iwi - Ngāti Awa - gather to celebrate and perpetuate the gifts handed to us from our ancestors, and share them proudly with the world.

With this at the forefront of everything we do, Te Mānuka Tūtahi continues to build a positive profile in the tourism industry and as it’s popularity grows so does the need for processes and systems that support the delivery of a unique world class Ngāti Awa experience.

In the past year we have updated our Information Technology systems to meet the increase in foot traffic, successfully host a number of significant events during the year and make our operations more efficient.

We have also reviewed and updated our booking and sale systems to create a seamless experience for customers and enable us to accurately and efficiently capture data and information for accounting and planning purposes. The ongoing improvement to our systems and processes is necessary to accommodate and facilitate growth for Te Mānuka Tūtahi. One key event we hosted was the national Iwi Chairs Forum in August 2017, with some iwi leaders being first time visitors to Whakatāne. This event received national coverage and over 60 iwi were represented.

There have also been some significant positive gains made through the marketing and branding led by William Stewart. A substantial amount of work has been invested in relationship building with major trades operators and this is key for the commercial success of Te Mānuka Tūtahi.

Some of the major international trade operators that have visited and confirmed tours with Te Mānuka Tūtahi are Bill Peach Journeys (USA), ANZ Nature Tours (various countries), Tour East (India), and Rustic Pathways (USA). Nationally, Te Mānuka Tūtahi has successfully hosted trade delegations of Tourism New Zealand on various occasions and we have featured in various promotions led by the national tourism body of Aotearoa. A unique part of our offering is our cultural authenticity, and staff continually strive to deliver an experience based on the tikanga and kawa of Ngāti Awa.

Te Mānuka Tūtahi was successful in achieving a Silver award status under Qualmark NZ. This status recognises that Te Mānuka Tūtahi has been independently validated as a quality tourism business and provides instant recognition for customers that we will deliver a quality experience. The Evaluation report received from Qualmark NZ was very favourable and we are looking forward to implementing some of their suggestions to continually improve, and gain Gold status.

Overall, the past year has seen some important gains in terms of trade arrangements and improving the delivery of our services and products. In the next year, we will be focussing on delivering the Ngāti Awa Tourism strategy, and maintaining our authentic Ngāti Awa experience.