Jenniferann.com, regional development, and realising the aspirations of mana whenua in Pōkeno

Abstract

During the 1990s, the township of P okeno was held up as an example of a declining rural Aotearoa/New Zealand. By-passed from the national state highway, it lost its status as a service hub and drastic measures were introduced to revitalise the town, including renaming the town "Jenniferann.com." P okeno has since undergone an unlikely transformation, with foreign investment and its location within an extended Auckland commuter zone meaning that the township has grown exponentially. This article describes the transformation of P okeno and uncovers what has been missing from discussions about P okeno's reinvention, namely, the place of mana whenua.colonialism, mana whenua, P okeno, regional geography, regional transformation

Rural change and tourism in remote regions: Developments and Indigenous endeavour in Westland, Te Tai o Poutini, Aotearoa New Zealand

“…For example, some traditional activities and performances have adapted for tourism purposes, and the culture has been taken out of context by misrepresentation and tokenistic gestures on the part of tourism operators. This results in a depreciation of taonga Māori (Māori treasured things) and a diminishing of the control local Māori have over the portrayal of their culture and heritage (see also Ryks et al, ). These practices are slowly being replaced by developments that facilitate Indigenous tourism on Indigenous terms (Higgins‐Desbiolles & Akbar, ).…”

Insights from past and present social science literature on the (unequal) development of New Zealand's rural communities

“…While some were assisted, others were either actively denied support or provided paternalistic support which perpetuated inequalities. Development was top‐down, Māori populations side‐lined, and tikanga ignored (see Ryks et al, ; Riddle and Thompson‐Fawcett, , for contemporary discussion of opportunities of better integrating cultural aspirations into development discussions).…”

New Zealand's small town transition: The experience of demographic and economic change and place based responses

“…A more balanced perspective has emerged in more recent thinking in the country with two recent books (Brown, Kaye‐Blake, & Payne, ; Spoonley, ) drawing attention to the very real challenges which prevail but also the very real local capacity which exists in many places to respond positively and creatively to change, drawing on local resilience, leadership and capacity. As Spoonley (, p. 241) argues, it is possible to “reboot” regions, and “we need to adopt a new realism in understanding and responding to these dynamics (of demographic and economic change), it also invites new policy and political options.” As will be demonstrated in the following section not all towns are in the same bracket, some are declining economically and demographically, while others are growing, often rapidly, particularly those in metropolitan commuting belts for example, Pōkeno (Ryks, Kilgour, Whitehead, Whetu, & Whetu, ) and Selwyn District or in places attractive to retirees and tourists for example, Queenstown and Te Anau. Simultaneously change has catalysed pro‐active local responses in a range of centres, focused on drawing in investment and improving the local quality of life (Nel & Stevenson, , , ), causing what has been called “a renaissance (as some) … Small town communities … are looking for opportunities to reinvent themselves” (McCahon, ) to match new realities.…”