Ngāi Tahu Tourism Shotover Jet According to the
New Zealand Companies Office Shotover Jet Limited is 100 percent owned by Ngāi Tahu Tourism since 16 July 2007. is one of several assets owned by Ngāi Tahu Holdings. In 1999, Ngāi Tahu Holdings acquired a 38 percent It was reported on 30 October 2001 that Ngāi Tahu Holdings had raised its stake in Shotover Jet to 80%. On 9 October, this bid was taken up to 70c a share. By 12 November 2002, Ngāi Tahu held 88.3% of all Shotover shares. On 5 May 2004 it was reported that Ngāi Tahu had used New Zealand Compulsory Acquisitions Laws to acquire the remaining stake of Shotover they didn't already own. Shotover was de-listed from the
NZX on 7 May 2004. All Shotover operations in New Zealand were suspended on 1 January 2006 due to an engine fire on a boat. Operations resumed on 5 January. In May 2009 Ngāi Tahu Tourism and Shotover Jet took Queenstown Water Taxis to court for using the well-known Shotover fleet colour of red on one of its jet boats causing confusion for tourists. The court ruled for Shotover and ordered Queenstown Water Taxis to repaint their boat and to pay the legal expenses of Ngāi Tahu Tourism and Shotover Jet, as well as to pay $9,380 costs. Shotover Jet made the news when the
Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge participated in a Shotover ride in April 2014. David Kennedy, Regional General Manager for Ngāi Tahu Tourism said, ''"[William and Catherine] have requested a normal Shotover Jet boat trip, which is always cautious but it's still the most exciting jetboat ride in the world. "They'll be doing 360-degree spins and going within half a metre of the rocks."''
Rainbow Springs Founded in 1929 by Ted Bruce, Rainbow Springs has become one of the most visited tourism attractions in Rotorua. Between 1929 and 1932, Rainbow Springs was expanded by building cabins, a campground and caravan park. The park was acquired by The Shotover Group in 1995, became the direct property of Ngāi Tahu Holdings in 2004, and was transferred to Ngāi Tahu Tourism ownership in July 2007. In May 2011, Ngāi Tahu announced it would spend
$10 million constructing "The Big Splash", a water-based attraction, within its Rainbow Springs property. On 1 March 2022, Ngāi Tahu Tourism announced the closure of Rainbow Springs Nature Park, saying that the tourism operation was no longer financially viable. It was also announced that the National Kiwi Hatchery at Rainbow Springs would continue to operate while plans were made to move it to the Agrodome.
Agrodome In September 2011 it was confirmed that Ngāi Tahu had acquired a stake in the
Agrodome in Rotorua. Ngāi Tahu's initial investment in The Agrodome was a 75 percent stake. Company Office records show that the current Agrodome Limited company was registered on 12 August 2011 and is indirectly owned by Ngāi Tahu Tourism Limited, via its direct subsidiary,
CNI Tourism Limited. Twenty five percent of the company was owned by Harbow Trust Limited between the registration of Agrodome Limited in 2011 and July 2014. As well as being a tourist attraction, Agrodome operates a 133
ha sheep and cattle farm, and olive groves. To celebrate a successful olive harvest in 2014, Ngāi Tahu promoted and celebrated its first annual Olive Festival.
2020 coronavirus pandemic On 23 April 2020, Ngāi Tahu Tourism announced its intention to close its businesses, as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic, with the loss of over 300 jobs. It was expected that a final decision would be made in May 2020, following a period of consultation with staff. in a partnership with Canadian Equity-firm Direct Capital Partners, that gave them 50% of the company; or 25% each. It was reported on 30 October 2001 that Ngāi Tahu's stake in Ryman had been decreased to 20%. In February 2007, Ngāi Tahu sold 6% of their Ryman shares to 'global investment firm'
Babcock & Brown, for $2.10 per share, taking their remaining shareholding down to 6.5%. In February 2008, Ngāi Tahu increased its shareholding to 8%. In October 2013, it was reported that Ngāi Tahu had a shareholding of 6%. According to the Companies Office Ngāi Tahu Capital directly own 4.84% of Ryman Healthcare as of April 2016.
PGG Wrightson In April 2011, it was reported that Ngāi Tahu had invested a
$15,000,000 investment in a joint-venture vehicle with the purpose of owning shares in the agriculture company
PGG Wrightson. It was later confirmed that Ngāi Tahu had entered into an agreement with
Agria Corporation, a Singaporean agriculture company, and
New Hope Group, a Chinese investment company, to invest in the vehicle used to take over a 57.68% share in PGG Wrightson. Ngāi Tahu holds a 7.09% shareholding in the investment vehicle, Agria (Singapore) Pte Ltd. After the deal went through, then chief executive officer of Ngāi Tahu Holdings, Greg Campbell, said,
"This is an extremely valuable proposition from a strategic and relationship perspective and it is great to be able to announce this joint venture particularly given the recent tragic events in Christchurch." According to the New Zealand Companies Office, Agria Singapore, held a 50.22% shareholding as of December 2016.
Ngāi Tahu Seafood Ngāi Tahu Seafood was established to manage the fishing quota received by Ngāi Tahu following settlement with the Crown in 1992 as a direct consequence of a recommendation by The Waitangi Tribunal. Ngāi Tahu Seafood is headquartered adjacent to the International Airport of Christchurch, New Zealand. Ngāi Tahu Seafood also holds substantial fishing quotas in rock lobster,
pāua, blue cod, Bluff oysters and New Zealand greenshell mussels and a multitude of other species. The company have facilities in Bluff, Christchurch, Kaikōura and Picton; and range from simple, wharf-based receiving chillers through to full, export-registered processing plants. Ngāi Tahu Seafood is a major supplier of New Zealand seafood to international and domestic markets, under the
TAHU brand.
In the media On 29 August 2007, it was stated that Ngāi Tahu had formed Joint-Ventures in the
Chatham Islands, to process
Pāua,
Kina, and Wetfish species, and in
China to build up live lobster exports. In April 2008, Ngāi Tahu Seafood General Manager Geoff Hipkins travelled to China as a part of the New Zealand delegation to sign the
New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement. Whilst there, the goal of Mr. Hipkins was to attempt to find more "ports of call" into the Chinese market. He travelled to
Shanghai,
Beijing, and
Wuhan on behalf of Ngāi Tahu Seafood. Between 2011 and 2014 Ngāi Tahu started acquiring fishing quotas in South Australia for importation and sale in China.
Ngāi Tahu Property Ngāi Tahu Property owns multiple ex-government and/or council owned properties. Ngāi Tahu holds
right of first refusal to acquire any
state-owned property within its exclusive economic area. In 2010, Ngāi Tahu Property held assets in the tune of
$450,000,000; including but not limited to, the
Queenstown Police Station, Christchurch Courts, and 50 percent of the
Christchurch City Council Headquarters. In August 2011, it was mentioned in a New Zealand Herald article that Ngāi Tahu owns 83,600 ha of "rural land", of which around 90 percent are leased to third-party forestry organisations.
Lincoln University development In November 2007, Ngāi Tahu Property entered a joint venture with
Lincoln University to develop former dairying land on the edge of the Lincoln township into housing for students. The land, which is owned by the university, was formerly used as a research farm but was decommissioned in 2001 and subsequently establishment as a 160 ha dairy farm between Lincoln and Springston. The subdivision is planned to encompass 117 ha on the western edge of the town and "will achieve a long-anticipated connection between the town and the Lincoln University central campus," according to Ngāi Tahu Property general manager Tony Sewell. The properties will be released in stages over the next 12 years. There will be over 1000 sections and will incorporate additional community services and education facilities in the area.
Prestons subdivision Prestons is a subdivision developed by Ngāi Tahu Property,
Foodstuffs South Island, and CDL Land New Zealand. Prestons first 200 Sections were released for purchase on 16 October 2012. Ngāi Tahu Property as well as the local councils and Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority engaged in discussions to fast-track zoning permission by Earthquake Recovery Minister
Gerry Brownlee under the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act in order to open up land to those in the designated 'Red Zone' to buy and move to.
Tainui joint ventures Initial ventures On 26 November 2007, the
Herald announced that Ngāi Tahu and
Tainui had met at Arowhenua Marae in South Canterbury and signed deals to establish formal intentions on 23 November 2007 to work together, using a memorandum of understanding to form a basis to establish a working environment between the two iwi.
New Zealand Labour Party MP Shane Jones said, "You need to remember that Maori trusts and iwi organisations, they're very rarely sellers. They like to hold assets for a long, long time, and given the amount of foreign ownership in the economy, it's good that tribes work together and help to buy back some of those assets that looked lost." As the first joint-activity of the two tribes, in February 2009, Ngāi Tahu acquired 6% of Ryman Healthcare and subsequently on-sold 4.5% to Tainui; raisings its shareholding in Ryman to 8%, and establishing Tainui as a shareholder. All three companies have an equal 33.30% share is the limited partnership.
GoBus In August 2014, Ngāi Tahu and Tainui purchased
GoBus from Australian private equity-firm
Next Capital. The total purchase price was
$170 million. The purchase is expected to gain approval from New Zealand's
Overseas Investment Office due to the company selling GoBus being Australian-owned. Ngāi Tahu Chief Executive Officer, Mike Sang said,
"Go Bus will enable us to further grow and diversify our portfolio in a way that is complementary to the rest of our investments." In the deal, Ngāi Tahu acquired 67% and Tainui acquired a 33% stake in GoBus. In March 2016 GoBus won the rights to operate four South Auckland public bus routes, taking the rights from established
Infratil. The contracts commenced in October 2016, and GoBus is supplying 89 buses, most of which are brand new low-emission buses built locally in New Zealand. The company said it would invest $40 million in new vehicles and equipment as well as establishing two new depot facilities, providing over 250 new driver and management jobs. GoBus also provides school bus services, special needs transport as well as some tour and charter services. GoBus has about 360 urban service buses in its fleet of over 1600 vehicles, and employ more than 1900 staff. GoBus managing director Calum Haslop said,
"Entry into the Auckland market signals a new phase in our continued growth." In August 2016, GoBus announced that they had acquired '''Johnston's Coachlines''' for an undisclosed sum. Johnston's is a tourism-based bus company with depots in Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown. The main purpose of the acquisition was the companies experience in the high-end tour market. It was stated that the companies will operate in a parent-subsidiary manner as Johnston's will retain its own brand and division.
Other investments Tahu FM Tahu FM is the iwi's official radio station. It began as Christchurch's Te Reo Iriraki Ki Otautahi on 6 February 1991. Between 1996 and 2001, it formed a broadcasting partnership with
Mai FM and began playing more
urban contemporary music. It changed its name to Tahu FM in December 1997, and briefly changed its name to Mai FM in 1999 before reverting to Tahu FM. It broadcasts in
Christchurch on . In 2000 it began broadcasting
Kaikōura on ,
Dunedin on ,
Invercargill on , and around the country on . Tahu FM resumed broadcasting five days after the
2011 Christchurch earthquake, with assistance from Te Upoko O Te Ika and other iwi radio stations, and operated as the city's Māori language civil defence station. In December 2014 it was recognised as the country's highest-rating Māori radio station.
Dillions Point properties In October 2000, Ngāi Tahu invested over $9 million in acquiring six vineyards totaling roughly 69 hectares of land. In the aftermath of the acquisition, Ngāi Tahu agreed to supply Gieson Holdings grapes for their wines. This venture is called Dillons Point Properties. It was reported October 2001, that Ngāi Tahu Holdings had a 43% ownership of
Whale Watch Kaikōura. It was also reported that Ngāi Tahu Holdings acquired
Proseed, a large-scale tree-seed supplier in July 2001.
South Canterbury Finance In August 2010, a consortium of investors offered to acquire the failed
South Canterbury Finance business from the receivers, but It was rejected. The consortium, Permanent Investments Limited, revised and resubmitted it on 13 September. It October Ngāi Tahu Holdings was named, along with the
New Zealand Superannuation Fund and others, as being part of the consortium that failed to acquire South Canterbury Finance in a $1.3 billion deal. Ngāi Tahu said its participation in the bid was an attempt to broaden its business portfolio.
Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme On 19 September the National Business Review released an article announcing Ngāi Tahu and
TrustPower, and
Hawkes Bay Regional Investment Company were in talks to mutually invest in the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme. It was also said that Ngāi Tahu and TrustPower could pay up to 40%, or $105 million, of the $265 million projects costs, costing approximately $52.5 million each. On Friday 20 September 2013, the New Zealand Herald reported that Ngāi Tahu, TrustPower, and Hawkes Bay Regional Investment Company had signed a memorandum of understanding with the intentions to mutually invest into the controversial Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme. Many local Māori were against the scheme going forward, and because of this, Ngāi Tahu advised the local iwi,
Ngāti Kahungungu, that on their request, Ngāi Tahu will pull the plug on any future involvement with the Scheme. On 26 September 2013, it was reported in the Hawke's Bay Today that Ngāi Tahu had already invested an undisclosed amount of money into the Water Storage Scheme, which caused surprise within local iwi. In early 2014 TrustPower pulled out of the deal. As a result of this, the deal did not meet Ngāi i Tahu's investment criteria under the pre-signed memorandum. Due to this, Ngāi Tahu pulled out of the Scheme in May 2014.
Expressed interest In November 2011, Ngāi Tahu publicly expressed an interest in establishing an alliance of iwi to acquire up to 20% of each power company floated by the Government, including, but not limited to,
Mighty River Power and
Genesis Energy. In December 2013, Ngāi Tahu Tourism announced plans to lease 0.75ha of council-owned land to construct
Queenstown Hot Pools, a $25 million hot pool complex of 12 large, and 6 small pools as well as a host of other amenities. ==Group awards==