Te Pūtake o Tawa
Te Pūtake o Tawa is a mountain bike hub located within the Whakarewarewa Forest and is currently owned by Central North Island Iwi Holdings Ltd (CNI).
Although mana whenua belongs to Tūhourangi and Ngāti Whakaue, it is CNI who make all decisions in relation to what the forest will be used for. CNI represents 8 iwi, including Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa on behalf of all Te Arawa affiliates. They also work closely with the Rotorua Lakes Council who hold the recreational Crown Forestry License.
What this means is that Council also make decisions along with CNI when it comes to providing access to forest users including mountain bikers.
CNI and RLC recently ran a public process that called for businesses to operate food, beverage, retail and mountain biking services at the new hub. We’re excited to have been successful in our bid to offer food, beverage and retail services and will be working closely with Tūhourangi-owned local businesses to provide these offerings.
This is a monumental time for Tūhourangi because it’s the first time since prior to the eruption where we’ve had our own people operating businesses of significant scale on our whenua, particularly within the forest.
However, the main driver in our pursuit of this opportunity was that it positioned us well to support our whanau in business, and their kaimahi, as they recover from the impacts of COVID-19. We know all too well of the affects suffered by closures at places like Whakarewarewa Village.
The concessions for businesses to operate will be in place for the next two years after which they have the right to renewal for a further year. We believe this is in place as plans to have a more permanent commercial base are worked through by CNI and Council.
Whilst this concession isn’t forever, we believe as mana whenua, it’s the best possible step in the right direction and we’re delighted that CNI have acknowledge the contribution our people can make to the hub.
A ceremony at the hub took place on Thursday morning, hosted by CNI and RLC and will begin operating on Labour Weekend. Make sure to pop out and have a look with the whānau!
Mauri ora!