Transcript
There are high hopes that a tourism revival will help French Polynesia overcome its economic slump. The economics minister Teva Rohfritsch told local television of an impending boom.
"Polynesians would like to have more jobs. We all wish to benefit from this economic plus, from this economic boom which the Tahitian Village will bring."
About 2,500 people are expected to be employed for the construction phase for the three-to five-star hotels and apartment complexes. The plan is for more than 1,500 units to be built. Kaitiaki Tagaloa includes two New Zealand companies: Kaitiaki Property and Iwi International as well as Samoa's Grey Group, which already owns and runs five high-end hotels in Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora.
How big a stake the New Zealand companies have is not clear. Bryan Perring of Kaitiaki Property declined to divulge the size of his company's stake, and the consortium's head Tukoroirangi Morgan could not be reached for comment. All the shares in Iwi International, which is based in Te Atatu, are owned by two families, the Morgans and the Nikaus. Mr Morgan is a former Maori Party president and Tawera Nikau is a former rugby league star. Earlier this month when the protocol between Kaitiaki Tagaloa and the French Polynesian government was signed Mr Morgan told local media about the close cultural link.
"Of all the countries in the world, this is a beautiful place. The weather is beautiful, the country is beautiful. This country is magnifique. That's the reason why we are here, but more than that, it's coming home."
The Tahitian Village project is a scaled back variation of the Mahana Beach project which was derailed after millions had been spent to launch it. In 2015, the French Polynesian government planned to build 5,000 units according to its agreement with a Chinese consortium made up of Recas Global Limited, China Railway International and R&F Properties. But the funding could not be finalised and what was touted as a $US three billlion project fell over. This time around, the French Polynesian president Edouard Fritch has no doubt that it will succeed.
"We are lucky. They are Maori. That means they are people that understand the spirit of the Polynesians and the culture of the Polynesians."
At the start of the year, the tourism minister Nicole Bouteau pointed out that the Tahitian Village will be integrated in a way the Mahana Beach wouldn't.
"Public beaches, the cultural centre, the commercial centre, the marina they will be open for the public. So it won't be the tourist ghetto which the Mahana Beach was supposed to be."
The protocol signed by Mr Morgan allows for a 200-day period to finalise the contract. There are plans to sign it on Taputapuatea marae on Raiatea - the ancestral home of the Maori.
