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Post by Kiwi Frontline on Dec 14, 2019 3:44:01 GMT 12
WHAKAARI/WHITE ISLAND BOAT TOURS GENERATE $4.5M A YEAR FOR IWIBefore this week's tragedy at Whakaari/White Island, the Buttle family and Ngāti Awa were hardly household names. However, as some of the main players in the disaster at Whakaari/White Island, they now have a public profile that extends to mentions on the BBC and the New York Times. By 1929, the sulphur venture had crumbled and the island was put up for tender. George Buttle had the winning bid. He told the press he liked the idea of owning a volcano. He died in 1961 aged 76, passing on the island to his son John. John, who died in 2006, told the New Zealand Geographic magazine he shared his father's enthusiasm for the island and took an active part in nature surveys. It was not then a money-making venture. He asked only for a $10 donation for charity from each visitor. www.stuff.co.nz/business/118125541/whakaariwhite-island-boat-tours-generate-45m-a-year-for-iwi
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