Ohinemutu puts stop to 'exploitation of village'

A tourism operation has been set up in Rotorua's oldest settlement to prevent local and foreign tour operators from exploiting its residents.
Tourists visiting Ohinemutu are being charged a gold coin entry and there are plans to charge tour bus operators a fee to take groups to the village.
Ohinemutu Village Tours managing director Shaloh Mitchell said in a statement that commercial operators, both local and foreign, had taken advantage of the generosity of the residents of Ohinemutu for more than 50 years.
"Countless tourism organisations have conducted business within the private village of Ohinemutu, without prior knowledge nor consent."
Mr Mitchell said the operators "exploited" the village for their own gain.
"Yet [the operators] have never left any remuneration or gratuities towards the upkeep of our village and sacred taonga. Surely, that is the right thing to do."
Mr Mitchell said tourists would be charged a gold coin to enter Ohinemutu village and Te Papaiouru Marae. He also wanted to charge tour bus operators a larger fee to take tourists to the village, he said.
It was later reported the venture would be put on hold until the company had met with the marae's committee, after kaumatua at the village were unaware of the new venture.
The venture is now under way and visitors are approached by an Ohinemutu Village Tours worker when they enter the village and are asked to make a donation.
Rotorua bus driver Kevin Bates said he was angry tourists were being asked to pay when visiting St Faith's Church.
He said he didn't think it was right for a company to insist on a donation when they were visiting a church.
"As a coach driver I'm angry about it and as a local I think 'no, this isn't right'. Where do you draw the line? Are you going to have someone sitting outside Kerosene Creek with a tin?"
Mr Bates learned of the new business last week when he sent Danish tourists there to visit St Faith's Church.
"I do the same spiel all the time. We pull up at the lakefront, I tell them they have half-an-hour [and to] go and have a wander down to the church. I tell them 'don't take any photos inside [the church], look at the stained glass window and the beautiful view out to the lake'."
Mr Bates said the group came back from the church upset.
"The guy came up to me and he said, 'you never told us we had to pay to go into Ohinemutu'."
Mr Bates, who has lived in Rotorua for almost 40 years and has driven tour buses for seven years, said it was not the first time he had heard of tourists being "harassed" to make a donation.
"A few of my colleagues have had similar things happen. Most of the coach drivers around here are respectful of the customs and ensure protocol is followed," Mr Bates said.
"I don't think if you get a group visiting the church someone should jump out of a shed and use the guise of a donation to make people pay."
Mr Mitchell said the group involved had visited the marae and the church.
"We have always and will continue to welcome local and foreign visitors into our sacred village and treat them with the respect they deserve - so long as that respect is reciprocated," Mr Mitchell stated.
Danish tourist Henning Dahl was asked to make a donation when he visited Ohinemutu this month.
"They asked why we wanted to walk here and we said we were sightseeing. They said it was not really possible because it was private property, but if you donate a contribution we would be allowed."
Mr Dahl said he had no problem paying to visit the village and found the person who approached him to be polite and professional.
An Ohinemutu resident, who did not want to be named, said she saw a foreign tour operator show tourists around the church, then put on a minister's collar and do a service.
"I think what [Ohinemutu Village Tours] is doing is great - it's better than what has been happening."