The entrepreneurial spirit of brothers Mike and Doug Tamaki has created New Zealand’s most awarded Māori-owned tourism company, Tamaki Tours.
Mike Tamaki had the business dream of setting up a pre-European Māori village. He was already working in the tourism industry as a tour guide and driver for Intercity Travel, but this new venture was very different.
Mike’s vision was for visitors to the Māori village to experience first-hand a cultural experience like no other. However, his dream was at a standstill until he could raise the capital to fund his idea.
Mike got rejected by all the banks before he managed to convince his younger brother Doug to lend him the money. So in 1989, after selling Doug’s beloved Harley Davidson motorcycle, the two brothers used the money to buy a 16-seater minibus. This was the start of their business, Tamaki Tours, a Māori Village based 15 minutes south of Rotorua.
The brothers worked very hard to create an experience that portrays the history and spirit of their Māori ancestors as realistically as possible.
The three and a half hour experience starts when guests arrive at the village and a storyteller guides them through a re-enactment based on true stories. Guests are given the opportunity to experience ancient ceremonies of welcome and farewell, and the lifestyles and warrior traditions of pre-European times through to modern day contemporary life.
A lot of Mike and Doug’s success can be attributed to their focus on authenticity, quality, and ensuring that no shortcuts were taken. For example, the brothers lay a traditional in-ground hangi for the guests to dine on rather than quicker hangi options other tourist operators were using.
The time and dedication that the Tamaki brothers have put into the Tamaki Māori Village has paid off and the Rotorua business now has over 100 000 visitors from both New Zealand and abroad each year.
The North Island Māori experience in Rotorua, "Journey of Ages", has been such a success that a South Island Māori experience has been created in Christchurch. The Christchurch experience is called "Lost in Our Own Land", and is a standalone experience that captures a southern Māori experience.
The Tamaki brothers are in the process of creating a third Māori village in Auckland that will tell the story of "The Arrival".
Tamaki Heritage Group now has over 120 employees and an annual turnover of $12m.
Tamaki Tours has been the recipient of many business and tourism awards, including New Zealand's Supreme Tourism Award, Ernst and Young's International Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the NZTB Māori Tourism Award, and an Award of Distinction for Contribution to New Zealand Tourism.
The Tamaki brothers are now sharing their knowledge by mentoring other indigenous businesses within Australasia. They have created a relationship with the community of Brewarrina in New South Wales, where they are helping the Aboriginal community develop a series of cultural tourism products. It’s hoped this strategy will help overcome the high rates of unemployment, drug, and alcohol abuse.
Aside from Mike and Doug’s work in their business and other indigenous businesses, they are also very well known for their public speaking and are often invited to share their story to inspire others. Mike specialises in key note speaking at Māori tourism and indigenous tourism events.
The Tamaki brothers have created an award-winning business through their dream of sharing their Māori heritage with the world.
Published on: 10 Apr 2015
