Ringa Hora held our first industry hui for Māori tourism in March 2023. The hui was the first time Ringa Hora has been able to welcome whānau Māori within the tourism industry to whakawhanaungatanga, to hui and wānanga with us about Māori tourism. Rotorua is often acknowledged as the genesis of Māori tourism with rich histories of manaakitanga and story sharing predating the eruption of Tarawera, so it was chosen as the appropriate place to hold our first hui for the Māori tourism industry.

The hui was held at Tangatarua Marae, Toi Ohomai in Rotorua. We were welcomed onto Tangatarua marae alongside other manuhiri who represented small and medium sized entities (SME’s), industry representatives, training providers, and government entities.

The core focus of the hui was for Ringa Hora to build relationships with Māori tourism whānau, and initiate conversations to hear what is happening within Māori tourism. Our hui focused on two broad areas to begin those conversations and lay the groundwork for further hui to support workforce development:

• The future of Māori tourism
• Stories and taonga cared for by future generations.

A summary of the rich kōrero and insights is available for download: Kaupapa Māori Tourism Hui Summary_2023