Tuesday, November 17, 2009

"I wanted to support my community"

A great initiative.
"A 22-year-old Dunedin woman, whose friends have been affected by unemployment and suicides, has decided to help by starting a tourism venture aimed at tapping into the lucrative cruise ship market.
Jackie McGregor (Nga Puhi), who has been part of a kapa haka group since she was 7, was dismayed to find many of her friends in kapa haka were unemployed and left despondent by suicides in the wider Maori community.
"I wanted to do something to support my community."
What a fantastic sentiment.
"The former hospitality worker had the idea of setting up a kapa haka group aimed at the cruise ship market as she was often asked by tourists if there were any Maori cultural performances in Dunedin.
"This has been designed to give us, as a community, an opportunity to support ourselves."
Maori creating opportunities to enlighten others about maoritanga - the cruise ship passengers will love it!
"A research project by the University of Otago marketing department, supported by the Dunedin City Council, concluded the potential for Maori tourism products in the city was "immense".
Immense.

Well done on getting this idea working jackie - i hope local tangata whenua are helping you out too.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nice work Jackie..
Your a fine example to the rest of our people.
Its pleasant for a change to read about a person such as yourself, with compassion and empathy for those in need.
Best of luck with your venture.