Cultural Tourism Chief Sets Sail For Hawaii

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 June 2007

Cultural Tourism Chief Sets Sail For Hawaii

Andrew Te Whaiti is charting a new course for cultural tourism

From Kia Ora to Aloha; former chief executive of Te Puia, Andrew Te Whaiti is charting a new course for cultural tourism in Hawaii.

Andrew had previously been at the helm of New Zealand's leading cultural tourism attraction for four years, during which time he was responsible for the most ambitious expansion project in the attractions 135 year history; the NZ$17.5m redevelopment of the site and along with it, a re-conceptualised cultural tourism offering that took the traditional 'show and tell' into a high-tech, highly interactive visitor experience.

Andrew says that the spirit of 'Manaakitanga' was at the very core of this, and when presented in a 21st century context has had the effect of vastly increasing the 'take out' factor for visitors by sharing often intimate and complex stories of Maori culture which are then carried across many shores to be shared and treasured amongst visitors.

Andrew believes that Te Puia now places New Zealand at the forefront of cultural tourism internationally and true to Te Puia's spirit of guiding, Andrew will now share his knowledge and experience to enrich the cultural tourism offerings of other countries which he believes will in turn lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of the rich experiences to be shared by indigenous cultures globally.

The challenge of change has lured Andrew to Hawaii, which as a keen surfer did not make the decision too difficult a one to accept, just as his family is also excited about their new move to the Hawaiian tropics.

Based on the island of Oahu, Andrew will head up four large tourism projects on Maui and Oahu for Hawaiian organisation Kamehamaeha, which has a net worth in excess of US$7 billion dollars. Hawaii attracts around 6 million visitors a year. Mr Te Whaiti describes the move as an "exceptional opportunity to create new interpretations into some of the amazing stories that exist within the Hawaiian culture.

It was this theme of 'Raranga', or the art of weaving commerce and culture together that was the basis of Andrew's presentation late last year to the Hawaiian Tourism Conference and more recently at the First nations conference where as a guest speaker he shared the concept of 'mana and money' to Hawaiian operators.

It is this concept of retaining or rejuvenating cultural authenticity within a commercial context that will underpin much of the work Andrew will be doing with the Kamehaemeha organisation.

"It is essential that the product is both culturally and commercially viable meeting both stakeholder needs in terms of providing an expected ROI, but a the same time provides the opportunity for reinvestment into the cultural development of the people involved" says Andrew who describes upholding the cultural integrity of the people alongside strong commercial drivers as being key to ensuring the long term success of cultural tourism.

The sheer scale and scope of the projects is greater than any he has encountered. Andrew says he is privileged to be involved in and where protecting the integrity and beauty of the Hawaiian culture and environment is at the very core of the Kamehameha mission.

Andrew has been back and forth between Rotorua and Hawaii since his departure from Te Puia and he and his family will take up residence in Hawaii in mid July.

Andrew looks forward to retaining his strong links with the New Zealand tourism community whilst he is away and hopes to share the learning's and experiences gained in Hawaii through regular commentary with the New Zealand industry.

ENDS

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