The operator’s CEO also says a new tour model at the Rotorua attraction has been “contentious” for some.
More than 500 people have gathered at Te Puia to celebrate Matariki over the weekend.
Te Puia’s NZMACI receives nearly $6m and the Major Events Fund almost $18m.
Rotorua’s Te Puia attraction is set to host an evening of opera, Māori, and Pasifika music at a seated event.
Te Puia and other New Zealand attractions have taken the travel spotlight after featuring on ABC News’ Good Morning America.
Kiwis do not want to pay for Māori tourism experiences – they believe they should get them for free, says Te Puia’s Tim Cossar.
A Māori kūwaha carving created within Te Puia’s New Zealand’s Māori Arts and Crafts Institute now sits within Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay.
The Rotorua attraction is ramping up its international work but is realistic about the strength of the recovery.
The pandemic has forced cultural attractions like Te Puia to make changes with a new approach taken towards domestic visitors.
Te Puia has launched a free Kids Zone for the September/October school holidays.
Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua will receive a $7.6m cash injection over two years as part of Budget 2020.
NZMACI tumu whakairo (head of school), Arekatera Maihi says it is the first time the three main carving styles of this area have been officially acknowledged in one place.
Rotorua’s Mary Tolley knows how important the backpacker market is to Rotorua and NZ, and now it will be part of her responsibility to help others realise it too.