Manager wanted to help mark 250th anniversary of Cook's landing in Northland

Organisers hope a replica of Cook's ship, the Endeavour, will lead a flotilla around New Zealand, with several stops in Northland. Photo / File

A Northland trust is looking for a general manager to lead the organisation, and the region, in a job that's been 250 years in the making.

Next year will be the 250th anniversary of the arrival of Captain James Cook and his Polynesian navigator Tupaia in New Zealand waters. The Bay of Islands will be one of four key landing sites that will host events as part of the Tuia – Encounters 250 commemoration programme.

The Te Au Marie 1769 Trust has been established to commemorate, celebrate and share the diverse histories of voyaging and encounters in Tai Tokerau. The trust is looking for a general manager to develop and lead the Northland programme of events and projects.

Trust co-chair Jane Hindle said it's a truly unique and exciting project to be a part of.

"We are recognising and celebrating our dual heritage and the journeys that have brought us all here," she said.

"In celebrating our shared histories and two cultures' love of voyaging and exploration, we can better understand where we come from and where we can go in the future."

Fellow co-chair James Eruera said Tai Tokerau had a significant role to play in New Zealand's history, and the general manager would lead the region's part in a nationally significant commemoration.

A variety of events were in the planning in the Bay of Islands, Whangarei and across Northland, culminating in the Endeavour replica, accompanied by a flotilla of waka and traditional vessels, visiting the Bay of Islands in October. The trust was also focusing on long-term legacies that Ms Hindle said would have a positive social, cultural, ecological and economic impact, and would include ecological restoration, cultural and education initiatives.

For more information go to www.teaumarie1769.org.nz,
http://teaumarie1769.org.nz/about-us/vacancies/

Tuia–Encounters 250 is co-ordinated by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, working in partnership with trusts established in four of the Endeavour's original landing sites - the Bay of Islands, Gisborne, Coromandel, and Marlborough.

The key theme, "Dual Heritage, Shared Future", is aimed at acknowledging and learning about NZ's history in a way that will nurture a rich shared future for current and future generations.