Work is underway to build Wairarapa's first ever carving school, and the man leading the project can't wait to revive the art of whakairo among the region's young people.
The Pukaha National Wildlife Centre will use some of the $2.5 million it received from the Provincial Growth Fund in May to build the carving studio, which will later become a training centre.
The project began four years ago, when a local farmer Richard White donated a 900-year-old Totara Tree, which had fallen down on his property.
Project lead Wayne Pitau told RNZ reporter Te Aniwa Hurihanganui it was the beginning of a life-long dream of his.
