Bringing Polynesia to Manukau City

By TOM CLARKE

Counties Manukau Pacific Trust's new multi-purpose arts, sports and entertainment centre, planned for Manukau City, will reflect Auckland's claim to be the world's largest Polynesian city, says Richard Jeffery.

Mr Jeffery has been appointed chief executive of the centre - to be known as Pacific - says there is little in Auckland that shows its Polynesian side.

He recently hosted visitors from Australia and showed them attractions such as Kelly Tarlton's and Skytower. They wanted to see something of Auckland's Polynesian character, however.

"We've got a couple of good produce markets and a small Pacific market on Mondays and Tuesdays which has a bit of artwork, but that's about it," he says. "We haven't got anything, really, that we can take people to, apart from the Auckland Museum and then you only experience a few aspects of New Zealand culture.

"So, our vision is to deliver something where people can walk in and experience Polynesia."

Although there will be a heavy emphasis on Polynesia, the centre is being designed to also reflect the 140 other cultures now found in New Zealand.

Its design will be is based on the shape of a sail, representing the craft that carried the first settlers to this country, and on an aircraft wing, to reflect how more recent immigrants reached our shores. An unfolding fern and a waka will also be incorporated into the design.

Mr Jeffery says the centre will be an icon that will not, in itself, attract people to New Zealand, but should attract visitors to Manukau once they are here.

The centre will be only 10 minutes' drive from the airport, so he hopes it will also draw some of the 750,000 people who every year transit there for four hours or more.

During construction, starting about February next year, the centre is expected to create about 270 jobs, and in its first year of operation in 2003, to stimulate 163 full-time job equivalents in Manukau.

Mr Jeffery joins Pacific from The Edge where he was director of theatre and convention services for three years. He expects to work with his former employer to arrange ventures which complement each operation.

Before joining The Edge, he was in hospitality management with CDL Hotels, Hyatt Hotels and Southern Pacific Hotels both here and overseas. He has also worked at The Ritz in London.