As Tauranga awaits the outcome of a feasibility study looking to bring the 75 metre Waka Maori to the city's waterfront, SunLive looks into the history of the controversial pavilion.

The Waka Maori pictured in Auckland, 2011. Photo: Fairfax.

Divided opinions have arisen locally since Tauranga City Mayor Stuart Crosby confirmed on Tuesday discussions among various organisations are underway.

But the pavilion is no stranger to debate.

Dubbed the ‘Tupperwaka', the Waka Maori is one of the most successful initiatives to come out of New Zealand's 2011 Rugby World Cup promotion.

Yet in spite of two successful gigs, the second in San Francisco for the 2013 America's Cup campaign, it remains one of the most controversial.

Politics surrounded the waka from day one, says Darrell Carlin, director of the Tauranga public relations company, Carlin Valenti, involved in the project from the early stages ahead of the RWC.

'The reason Ngati Whatua o Orakei got involved in the putting together of the project was that it was asked to by then Minister of Maori Affairs, Pita Sharples, who was concerned there was nothing of Maori culture for visitors to Auckland to see,” says Darrell.

'Waka Maori was the idea that everyone felt was most likely to be a success. It was a success. Surveys of visitors leaving New Zealand after the Rugby World Cup rated it as the top event they visited.”

The pavilion was originally going to be open for 16 days, but that was shorted by a lack of funding to 10 days.

Funding was provided by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Te Puni Kokori, the Prime Minister's Department and Ngati Whatua Oraki.

The total cost was $1.8 million, of which $900,000 was the cost of the waka and $900,000 was the cost of the performers and running pavilion events, he says.

Ngati Whatua put up $100,000 cash but also funded the set up, and staffed the event with guides and security.

Auckland-based company, Structurflex, built the pavilion's tensile membrane structure. Beca and Opus were later called to be involved in the process, adding to funding costs and reducing opening time.

It is designed it to withstand a hurricane, and attracted a lot of international media attention during RWC coverage.

'Our team was busy guiding media teams through,” says Darrell. 'A full feature on the waka was carried on French television in the build up to the Cup final.

'There were 400,000 people through in 10 days. At times we had to restrict the flow of people coming in, as the numbers surpassed the estimates we had made.”

Shows rolled continuously throughout the day and the Waka Maori opened as a bar in the evening with entertainment and big screen TVs so people could watch the games.

At the front of the pavillion is a built-in theatre that seats up to 30 people.

During the RWC the theatre showed a 3D movie made by Taylormade: the group responsible for the America's Cup visuals.

The Waka also had a display of the history of the Maori All Blacks which people really enjoyed, says Darrell.

'That display was manned by current and former Maori All Blacks who were around to talk to rugby enthusiasts from Wales, Ireland, South Africa and the rest,” says Darrell.

'What was very special was the waka was the only place kids could go to get autographs.”

The waka was designed to include a kitchen and eating areas outside so people could wander in look at the displays, take in a concert, watch a movie, and get a coffee and something to eat.

While international media loved the Waka Maori, New Zealand media was not so kind.

'It started badly when the project got caught up in a political contest for the Auckland Maori seat where Labour's Shane Jones was facing off against Pita Sharples,” says Darrell.

'Shane Jones attacked the waka as a waste of money. He coined the term ‘Plastic Waka' and later ‘Tuppawaka'.

'We were fine with both names as it meant everyone had heard of it.”

Ngati Whatua were also drawn into the media wrangle via another issue.

'In the end it mattered little as the surveys showed it was a success,” says Darrell.

Ngati Whatua originally had no intention of owning the waka, says Darrell.

Two containers of the tensile membrane structured pavilion are currently dockside in San Francisco, awaiting the outcome of the Tauranga study.

Project initiator Sally Cooke says the Waka Maori on the Tauranga Waterfront proposal is a concept to bring the Waka Maori to Tauranga to be established as a cultural, technology and innovation showcase centre for the Bay.