A woman behind a Maori tourism venture which helped spark life into a small Northland town is becoming a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community.
Wellsford woman Linda Clapham was instrumental in the formation of the Te Hana CommunityDevelopment Trust in 2002, in an effort to revitalise the town which serves as the gateway to Northland. She was a foundation member and later the chief executive.
The trust was established after securing the support of the Whangarei district and Northland and Auckland regional councils. Ms Clapham was also involved in petitioning the Rodney District and Auckland regional councils to obtain approval to lease part of the Te Hana Reserve to develop a cultural tourism centre and community marae.
Ms Clapham and current trust chief executive Thomas de Thierry worked for four years unpaid to get the Te Hana Te Ao Marama Maori Cultural Centre off the ground.
Ms Clapham utilised her skills as an architect to oversee the construction of the buildings, and pre-European pa and Maori village, which comprise the cultural centre.
Ms Clapham also helped set up the Guardians of the Kaipara to protect the natural characteristics of the Kaipara Harbour.
