Koha and Guiding
In February 2023 Tuwharetoa Iwi (Māori tribe) demanded to audit our accounts and take 7% of our gross revenue for access to the Lake Taupo catchment. There are many good reasons why we will not be paying this fee but in particular – Tuwharetoa’s ethical and commercial conflict of interest inherent in owning 51% of a competing business – so we have ceased commercial guiding in the Taupo catchment, though not the wider Tongariro region.
Locally, we now offer fly fishing guiding free of charge, though you may consider Koha (the giving of gifts or money) by visitors (manuhiri), which is an example of reciprocity that is a common feature of much Māori Tikanga (customs and traditional values). Koha is an expression of the importance you put on an event and is a freely given gift, not a charge for services.
Traditionally Koha has often taken the form of food although taonga (treasured possessions) are also sometimes offered as koha, and in modern times money. For the benefit of non-Māori unfamiliar with the custom and as is common practice on Marae (communal and sacred meeting ground), we have suggested an appropriate Koha on our booking page.
Most of our guiding is not in the Taupo District, so we continue to guide freely everywhere else in Aotearoa, where all lakes and rivers (ex Lake Rotoira) remain in noncommercial public ownership and are freely available to all kiwis and visitors. These fisheries are licensed and managed by Fish and Game, rather than the Department of Conservation and Tuwharetoa.
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