A beachfront fish and chip shop and cafe in Gisborne is undergoing a revamp and could soon share its home with the Gisborne i-Site Visitor Information Centre.
Nāti Growth, the commercial arm of Ngāti Porou, recently acquired Captain Morgans at the Waikanae Beach end of Grey St and is in discussions about incorporating the district’s i-Site into the building.
Renovations at Captain Morgans — which also sells food items, coffee and icecream among other items — will start in a couple of weeks.
Nāti Growth chief executive Henare Walker reassured locals that ice cream would remain on the menu.
“It’s a good community spot. You can’t take ice creams out of there,” he said.
The branding may partially stay the same to keep some of the nostalgic feeling, but they would also be looking to the other buildings in the area to ensure they maintain the aesthetic of the location.
Walker said he grew up on the Coast when Captain Morgans was an iconic place to go.
“There are elements [of the branding] that we would like to keep.”
In September 2023, the Government announced it would fund $1.5 million for a Trust Tairāwhiti/Ngāti Porou project to establish a new i-Site.
The funding has several conditions, including a substantial transition period to consider the i-Site location and arrangements with Ngāti Porou.
Nāti Growth is still in discussion with Trust Tairāwhiti, which operates the i-Site as the Regional Tourism Organisation for Tairāwhiti.
Discussions began for the new i-Site development when Nāti Growth started to look at purchasing Captain Morgans, as part of its initiative to invest in local businesses, Walker said.
“We could see there was a regional opportunity for an enhanced i-Site in this location that is close to the beach, boardwalk and holiday park while still being well connected to the CBD.
“We are just working through the details about whether it will work, what it might look like and how it would work with the total renovation.”
The future location of the i-Site was still not confirmed as plans were in the beginning stages, Walker said.
“Either way we are looking at developing the site, as it has probably lacked a bit of care and attention over the years.”
They aimed to get as much done renovating Captain Morgans as they could before summer.
“Our target is to provide a strong outlet in a popular and frequently visited site that will become an iconic location to enhance the visitor experience to the region, by providing high-quality service and local product offerings,” Walker said. “Sharing information about our region and enhancing the experience for manuhiri [visitors] aligns with this.”
As they developed those plans, they would also factor in the potential plan to put the i-Site in there, he said.
Trust Tairāwhiti said the idea of the i-Site being integrated within a mixed-used premise, in partnership with iwi, broke new ground for i-Sites nationally.
Ngāti Porou Holding Company Ltd transitioned to Nāti Growth in June last year.
Walker says this shift in name also symbolises a change in strategic direction, from “a passive mindset to an active and efficient mindset to a growth asset base”.