Bayden Barber, chairman of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc, and former Te Mata Park trustee, said, “Ngā Tīpuna was developed in partnership with mana whenua. It’s about looking forward for the next 100 years and thinking about how we use Te Mata Park, and what we want our relationship with the park to be.”
The development of the Ngā Tīpuna strategy comes at a time when demand on the park is high.
Devonshire said, “Community demand for access and the trust’s commitment to its kaitiaki role were catalysts for the creation of Ngā Tīpuna. The trust is committed to protecting this integral piece of Hawke’s Bay’s cultural and physical landscape.”
Alongside the new strategy, the trust also officially launched the Ngā Tīpuna Fund, an endowment fund managed by Hawke’s Bay Foundation. The move ushers in a more financially sustainable future for Te Mata Park, one of the six key objectives of the Ngā Tīpuna strategy.
Te Mata Park’s current funding model leaves a significant annual shortfall, and support from Te Mata Park’s valued key stakeholders, the Hastings District Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, covers 60 per cent of the park’s annual operating costs.
Every year the trust must search for the remaining 40 per cent to operate and source additional funding to run the myriad of projects needed to enhance and protect the park.
“The Ngā Tīpuna Fund will bring financial sustainability to our operations and close our current funding gap.
“Our goal is to raise $20 million within 20 years so that in time the dividends will sustain the operations of the park,” Devonshire said.
The Te Mata Park Trust chairman invites all Te Mata Park users and supporters to give what they can to protect and enhance this treasured land for future generations.
Donations to the Ngā Tīpuna Fund can be made via Te Mata Park’s website, www.tematapark.co.nz/donate.
