Tauranga-based company The Department of Discovery is now operating one of Christchurch's leading tourist attractions, Tamaki Heritage Village, developed by brothers Mike and Doug Tamaki.
The Department of Discovery, specialising in cultural tourism and owned by Tourism Bay of Plenty director Andrew Te Whaiti, has negotiated a 50-year management contract for
the Tamaki attraction, which includes the Ferrymead Colonial Village and fortified Pa.
Mike Tamaki moved to Christchurch from Tauranga four years ago to complete the development of the heritage centre, which features historical re-enactments set in the early 1800s called "Lost in Our Own Land."
Mr Tamaki is heading "to Tauranga, Auckland or Sydney" to continue the work of Tamaki Heritage Group, which owns the Tamaki Maori Village in Rotorua and has cultural tourism opportunities in New South Wales and Alberta in Canada.
The Department of Discovery has taken over a team of 30, which includes performers and caterers. Mr Te Whaiti said his company was looking at rebranding the heritage centre and would consider a new name.
"We are doing so much work down there, we are right smack in the middle of it," said Mr Te Whaiti. The work was kicked off by Mr Te Whaiti's chief executive Glenn Ormsby, who is now settling in as the interim general manager of Tourism Bay of Plenty, following the departure of Tim Burgess.
Mr Ormsby, formerly the general manager of Tourism Waitaki, will be holding the reins for six months. Asked if he was interested in the top Tourism Bay of Plenty job, Mike Tamaki said: "I'm tempted to jump into one of those positions and stretch the boundaries.
"There's so much potential and the Bay is still home to me," said Mr Tamaki, a former Tourism New Zealand board member.
