Manaaki Rotorua Be Our Guest is putting together free vacation packages to visit Rotorua for people impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle

A tourism initiative based on the concept of manaakitanga (loosely translatable as hospitality) has been launched to help people affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Manaaki Rotorua Be Our Guest was started by Melanie Short after she saw the devastation caused around New Zealand by the February cyclone.

“Be Our Guest is an invitation to come and join us in Rotorua and let us look after you,” she said.

“We would like to invite people that have been either impacted by the cyclone, or those that have been helping out the recovery, to come and have a break.”

The tourism initiative is being supported by the wider Rotorua community, including Rotorua Trust, Velocity Valley, Caper’s Cafe, Skyline Rotorua and Secret Spot.

Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said the programme was “a fantastic way for us to show the care that our community has for other”.

RotoruaNZ’s Andrew Wilson said: “Manaaki is one of those terms that is really important to us here in Rotorua. It speaks of that reciprocity in terms of the way that we welcome visitors.”

A variety of tourism operators have donated experiences, accommodation packages and vouchers for meals.

Bruce Thompson, from Rotorua Treewalk, said the initiative was “about showing Rotorua off at its best and more than half of our visitors are Kiwis. And over the Covid period, Kiwis really looked after us.”

Manaaki Rotorua Be Our Guest is looking for donations from businesses and individuals keen to get involved.

You can find out more information on the website: www.manaakirotorua.co.nz.

Public Interest Journalism Fund