A well-known Māori tourism in Northland will receive $1.25 million from the Provincial Growth Fund for much-needed redevelopment, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rēhia Charitable Trust will use the funding to upgrade Te Pā Kāinga o Rewa, or Rewa’s Village, in Kerikeri. The long-established attraction is a small-scale replica of a 19th century Māori fishing village which recaptures the atmosphere of a settlement in pre-European times.
“It’s about 50 years since Rewa’s Village was built and it has fallen into disrepair. This funding will enable the trust to upgrade the facilities and displays, create up to seven new jobs, and attract more tourists,” Shane Jones said.
“Some of the redevelopment work has already started and up to 30 people are expected to be employed on site over term of the upgrade. Work should be completed by the end of the year.
The village is named after Rewa, a Ngāpuhi chief, who was prominent in the early 1800s. Rewa’s Village was built in the late 1960s as a community effort to faithfully recreate an unfortified village which would have existed when Europeans first arrived in New Zealand.
It is located in the Kororipo Heritage Park and forms parts of the Kerikeri Basin Recreational Reserve and is part of the Kororipo tourism precinct centred around another well-known tourist attraction, the Kerikeri Stone Store.
“The Kerikeri Basin is a significant heritage site. It was one of the first areas where Māori and Pākehā came together to live and trade. We need to look at preserving it so visitors can better understand its significance,” Shane Jones said.
