This last week is the perfect example where a Waka Maori exhibition venue has surfaced on the reject radar for the say no brigade to shoot down before they have taken the time to know what they are saying no to.
This time last year another progressive project involving culture, history and the arts was pitched to the powers at city hall involving the Information Centre on Salisbury Avenue that has been empty for a good few years now.
The pitch was based on telling the stories of Tauranga to the tourists by walking and talking around Mauao, then coming back through the downtown area to the info centre where weavers and local artists would have their wares on display as they interacted with the visitors.
It had winner written all over it. The storytellers were given a six-week training course, local weavers and artists engaged, concepts themed up and all good to go after the expected green light would be given.
But no.
Once again the no for the sake of saying no brigade stepped in and what we see one year and 70 cruise ships later is zip. Rumours have it that a bakery will be built there.
Now there's a great innovative progressive asset for Tauranga and the tourist trade.
When will we start to say yes to our visionaries who see the potential in the brand of Tauranga - The Safe Anchorage?
Waka Maori could and should be the number one tourist attraction here in Tauranga Moana, if not the whole of the Western Bay and beyond.
No-one can tell this story in any other harbour in the world where Maori arrived by waka and found - just as we have, the safe anchorage of the best place on the planet to live.
Surely we should be putting our best waka forward to showcase this? Surely we have enough collective 'yes' clout in this town to silence the say 'no' brigade and give this project a shot?
Worse-case scenario is after five years if it doesn't do the job, we pack it up into its containers and send it back to San Diego.
It's not a permanent fixture but my guess is it will be so successful that we will have to build a permanent structure to house the exhibition and all of the other unique stories that Tauranga has to tell.
Call it a Cultural Centre, A Waka World, A Mauao Experience or Once upon a Tauranga - whatever.
What we do know is the ever increasing discerning visitor to our shores - be it by cruise ship, bus or backpack - wants to know the story of Tauranga Moana.
So let's start listening to them and not the nay-sayers who should throw a pack on their backs and get a life by seeing it first-hand.
There are many of us who have crisscrossed the ley lines of this world and have come to understand and appreciate the richness of what we have here on our own shores and in our own back yard.
Tourism in Tauranga is the untold story that we must tell if we are to capture the huge market showing up on ships and travelling across the Mamaku mountains to Rotorua.
Tourist attractions such as "Te Waka Maori" and "The Mauao Experience" should be the silver lining in our long white cloud of telling our story.
It's time for the say yes voice to step up and make sure the opportunity of a Waka Maori does not sail by and all we have is an empty car park and a bakery to offer our international visitors.
• Tommy Kapai is a Tauranga author and writer. broblack@xtra.co.nz
