New name captures essence of place of sanctuary

Rising from the geothermal valley above, mud pools and steam vents is Te Puia. Once a pallisaded fortress, Te Puia protected the people and its culture from warring tribes. Today Te Puia stands majestic of a way of life upholding the values of Maori - past, present and future.

Forty one years of being The New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute has come to an end for one of Aotearoa’s iconic Maori cultural operations.

From now on, the institute will be known as Te Puia, recognising the hill behind the famous Pohutu, the world’s most accessible geyser. Te Puia has always been a place of sanctuary and its new name - translated as geyser, or geothermal - will now be used in association with the protection of traditional Maori arts, crafts and culture.

But Te Puia will be more than a name for the most popular cultural tourism visitor attraction in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The rebranding signals the start of a campaign aimed at focussing attention on the three distinctively different, but complimentary, visitor experiences within Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa valley.

The sub-brands which will sit under Te Puia involve the culture, the geothermal and the institute’s arts and crafts.

Te Puia chief executive Andrew Te Whaiti says the geothermal valley and cultural experiences on offer at Te Puia are the biggest drawcard for visitors, 600,000 of whom visit the attraction each year.

However research has shown that not all international visitors are interested in both. Those nationalities who have extensive cultural backgrounds often visit to see the geothermal features, including the Pohutu geyser.

But others, especially British visitors, are fascinated by the Maori culture. Andrew says that by separating the three aspects of Te Puia, the organisation can market itself more appropriately to the different international markets.

In that regard, a roll-out of the new branding will take place progressively in Australia, North America, Britain, Europe and Japan. But despite the rebranding, Andrew is emphatic that the original name of the country’s most visited Maori cultural attraction will not be lost altogether.

“By separating the carving and weaving schools from the other attractions - while retaining the The New Zealand Maori Arts and Craft Institute name - we have clearly positioned it as a school of higher learning,” he says.

In fact Te Puia’s re-development plan calls for the expansion of the working place for the carving and weaving schools and a new exhibition gallery.

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