New tribal base in business

Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa iwi authority has opened for business out of a tailormade two-storey office suite in the heart of Masterton's central business district.

Nelson Rangi, chairman of Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa governance board, said the new offices would allow the authority to expand the cultural and social services it offered. The tenancy would be shared with Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tamaki Nui a Rua Trust.

The trust pursues land claims on behalf of nine hapu claimant groupings including Ngati Hinewaka, Papawai Marae, Wairarapa Moana, Hurunui o Rangi Marae, Ngai Tumapuhia a Rangi, Te Hika o Papauma o Wairarapa, Te Oreore Marae, Akura, and Tamaki Nui a Rua.

Mr Rangi said the iwi authority, which had more than 2000 members on its database, had "outgrown" a former open-plan office at Wairarapa Moana House in Park Ave, and was fortunate to have acquired the lease on the two-storey space at the rear of the Lands Trust Masterton offices, formerly the National Bank, in Queen St.

He said the lands trust specialised in leasing office and commercial premises and had worked alongside the iwi authority to tailor the space to its needs.

About 50 people attended a dawn blessing ceremony and celebration breakfast on Monday that was held to officially open the offices, he said.

Mr Rangi said the new offices featured a conference room that would be thrown open to numerous affiliated Maori groups and government agencies in Wairarapa, and frosted glass partition walls throughout decorated with mangopare, or hammerhead shark, kowhaiwhai patterns symbolising strength, agility and tenacious determination.

The offices also were being fitted out with communication and information technology systems that would, for example, allow video conferencing via the internet, he said.

He said the iwi authority offices were next door to the BNZ bank and, as customers, the authority could use business conference spaces at the bank as well, depending on availability.

He said at least four people would be working fulltime out of the offices, including authority general manager PJ Devonshire, environmental manger Ra Smith, geographical information systems manager Haami Te Whaiti, and administrator Kyra Hill.

He said the central location of the offices, at the northwest corner of the Dixon St carpark, also would benefit the authority registrants and affiliates and large signs were yet to be erected in its carparking area.

"It's given us the opportunity to expand our services in a way we were never able to do before, and provide better opportunities to do our work," he said.