Open Waikato

Welcome to the Waikato, the tribal domain of Waikato-Tainui. In the days of our tuupuna (ancestors) the Waikato had many villages. It was a wealthy and prosperous region and the local Maaori were entrepreneurs operating Wheat and Flax Mills, as well as running extensive market gardens that fed the emerging populace of Auckland and exported goods to... Australia and America. The Waikato region was renowned as a food basket with its fertile soils rife with crops; its rivers teemed with eels and fish; its forests full with bird life and native flora. For generations Waikato-Tainui has worked alongside community partners to make the Waikato Region one of promise and prosperity. Following the Tribes settlements of 1995 and 2010, Waikato-Tainui continue to work with the Waikato District Council to make the region a national and international economic powerhouse built on productivity and innovation for the benefit of all who reside within the area. Today, the Waikato is again a vibrant hub of cultural diversity and economic development. It is truly a region whose residents can be proud of, both now and into the future. Waikato-Tainui is proud to support the Waikato District Council and the Economic Development Prospectus and welcomes one and all to share the richness and wonders that is Waikato. Nau mai ki roto o Waikato. Explore the Open Waikato District is an initiative of Waikato District Council, the local government authority for the Waikato district. In 2011, the Waikato District Council held a high-profile economic summit to initiate a district-wide conversation with the business sector about how to invigorate the districts growth, to attract more industry, create jobs and improve its economy. As a result, in March 2012 the Waikato Economic Development Roadmap was developed. Delegates to the economic summit were clear: the Roadmap needed to be an outcome driven action plan, not a glossy strategy document. The result was a projects-based roadmap organising ideas through four overarching themes intended to advance ...Read More