American TV crew and hunting party to showcase Whanganui region

From last year's hunting competition and food festival at Parikino Marae.

An American TV crew lands in Whanganui today, ready to show off the beauty - and the beasts - of the region to a huge United States audience.

They will be accompanying five high-altitude American hunters who have been invited to take part in this week's Whanganui River hunting competition and food festival.

Carbon TV, based in Utah, is a specialist outdoors and hunting channel. The crew will follow the American marksmen over three days of the competition.

The aim is to showcase the Whanganui region - and particularly its appeal to hunters - to the US market, with red deer, samba and fallow deer in the sights.

Chris Kumeroa, one of the competition organisers, said the visitors would get an experience second to none.

"We will show them, and all those back in the States, that this is a cool place for high altitude hunting," Mr Kumeroa said.

A former SAS soldier and now a trustee of Nga Tangata Tiaki, the post-Treaty Whanganui Iwi governance body, he believes there is a great opportunity to drive tourism around the river - and provide career prospects for young people.

"We have 250,000 acres of Maori land to make use of, and our natural environment gives us great potential to boost tourism.

"There is a small but growing economy in hunting tourism and the Americans will hunt and be filmed against a backdrop of the mountain, sea and bush."

The organisers have put together a $25,000 package for their American guests - who will also enjoy a cultural element to their trip - and plan to offer similar packages for the next five years.

Mr Kumeroa regards it as a sound investment, particularly if it eventually creates jobs for the next generation.

"We are also looking at inviting British hunters and a TV crew."

The event moves around among marae along the Whanganui River and this year is based at Jerusalem.

The hunting starts on Friday and 200 hunters have signed up to take part, up from 150 last year.

The sponsorship package at $42,000 is the biggest yet in the four years of the competition, and there will be $7000 in prizes handed out on Sunday.

Sunday is also the day of the food festival, with 20 stalls, bands and entertainment and an expected crowd of up to 1000.