Duration: 2:41
Ambient music plays.
[Drone footage over Hokianga Harbour with the Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment logo appearing]
[Mid-shot of Tania Burt, a woman, from Northland Inc]
Tania: We've been so lucky to receive millions of dollars from Kānoa over the last few years, and the impact has been great.
[Footage of pou at Ngawha Springs]
Tania: Even though a lot of these visitor experiences and infrastructure projects, wharves, airport upgrades and visitor experiences actually opened during COVID.
[Footage of sculptures and performers at Manea Footprints of Kupe]
It has brought more people here, again, it's created that employment opportunity.
[Panning shot of the Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery]
[Mid-shot of Larissa McMillan, a woman, from the Wairau Māori Art Gallery]
Larissa: To be able to come home to fund a smaller town and foster the arts and contribute to Whangārei city's growth is incredibly exciting for me.
[Footage of various contemporary Māori sculptures inside Wairau Māori Art Gallery]
Larissa: You know, this opportunity wasn't available five or 10 years ago.
[White text on black background over panning shot of pou at Ngawha Springs: In Tai Tokerau, Northland, Kānoa Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit has helped to fund tourist projects including Ngawha Springs, the Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery, Manea Footprints of Kupe, and Waitangi Mountain Bike Park.]
[Mid-shot of Tania Burt]
Tania: This industry employs nearly 10% of our Northlanders, and it's widespread through lots of communities.
[Tania’s interview is overlapped with various shots of the Hundertwasser Art Centre, and a performer interacting with a crowd at Manea Footprints of Kupe]
Tania: So, there's no one place that's untouched by tourism in Northland. So, the benefit really is that communities can get engaged, we can have our young people stay here and have meaningful employment.
[Mid-shot of Katherine Clarke, a woman, from Manea Footprints of Kupe]
Katherine: For us as tangata whenua, and for people who live here, in the, you know, this side of the Hokianga Harbour
[Katherine’s interview is overlapped with various shots including drone footage of the Manea Footprints of Kupe grounds and buildings, footage of performers engaging with a crowd and performing in a theatre]
[White Text over footage: Kānoa – RDU provided Manea Footprints of Kupe with a $4,600,000 grant from the Provincial Growth Fund]
Katherine: and that is that we struggle with being able to find really good employment and education opportunities for our young people. So, this provides us with that opportunity to think outside the square, how we can build their confidence by using our cultural modes of education and employment.
[Mid-shot of Kathleen Drumm, a woman, from the Hundertwasser Art Centre]
Kathleen: One of the wonderful things about this project is the number of jobs that has generated, you know, with the support of Kānoa.
[Footage of the Hundertwasser Art Centre roof panning up to its golden dome]
[White text over walking feet at Hundertwasser Art Centre: Kānoa – RDU provided Hundertwasser Art Centre and the Wairau Māori Art Gallery with a $18,500,000 grant from the Provincial Growth Fund]
Kathleen: So that is nearly 600 jobs since the project first began, many local people employed throughout the construction and development, of course many local people employed now.
[Mid-shot of Beaumyn Wihongi, a man, from Ngawha Springs]
Beaumyn: Well, the funding from Kānoa has been massive in that way that we now have our locals seeking employment but also our whanau as well that have sought employment here, here at Ngawha.
[Beaumyn’s interview is overlapped with various shots people in the Ngawha Springs pools]
[White text over footage of people in the pools: Kānoa – RDU provided Ngawha Springs with a $1,790,000 grant from the Provincial Growth Fund]
Beaumyn: So yeah, that’s been a massive, massive shift for us and forever grateful for the funding that we've received.
[Drone footage over Ngawha Springs with logos for Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit, the Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment, and the New Zealand Government appearing]
Ambient music fades out.
[Fade to black]
