Rarotonga museum aims to reshape Pacific storytelling and entrepreneurship

A co-founder of Te Ara Museum of Cultural Enterprise in Rarotonga says the museum’s purpose is to reshape how Pacific stories are told.

Founded by Stan Wolfgramm and Julie Smith in February 2017, Te Ara serves as a cultural hub, showcasing the history of the Cook Islands, and supports local entrepreneurship. The museum features a two-storey green building with classrooms, a shop, a cafeteria, and an exhibition space.

The museum also functions as a community centre, hosting a variety of activities that range from Zumba and yoga classes to breastfeeding support sessions. Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Wolfgramm says the museum must serve the community so that “the community will be a part of it”.

He shares one story about the building’s significance, specifically the coconut tree located in front of it. “The family who owns this land lives across the road. When we were building this, we said, ‘What's that coconut tree for’?” Wolfgramm says.

“They said, ‘underneath is a whenua or placenta, buried under that tree’. They said, ‘Just cut it down and build your building’. We went ‘no’. What we did is we shifted our entire building to keep one coconut tree in the front because that represents our people's values.

“It's not about the commercial value we can gain. It's about the value that we can gain in the way that we can wake up in the mirror and look at ourselves and go, ‘I'm a Pacific person, I believe in my values, and I wish to share that with others’.”

On the business front, Te Ara has a gift shop that offers a range of locally-made products to support growers, artists, designers, and crafters. Wolfgramm describes their space as a business enterprise where they work with different businesses, Pacific entrepreneurs, and stakeholders.

A veteran storyteller, Wolfgramm founded Drum Productions more than 30 years ago in New Zealand. He says there is a great need and desire to tell Pacific or regional stories, and being based in the Cook Islands is essential for this mission.

Their development is built on four pillars: business acumen, culture, community, and environment, all leading to sustainability. Wolfgramm says their mission is a “valued voice in our own backyard”.

Stan Wolfgramm describes their space as a business enterprise that provides for the people of Rarotonga while elevating economic opportunities. Photo/cookislands.travel

“We talk about the narrative of the Pacific not being our narrative. Te Ara is a way for us to bring our narrative to the forefront… culture, finance, conservation, community.” He stresses the importance of authenticity, linking Te Ara’s success to global partnerships built on Pacific values.

An example of this is their collaboration with United States-based Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, the largest hunting and fishing chain throughout the US and Canada. “One story that we're working on is this concept in the Pacific of ‘give the first fish you catch back to the sea’,” Wolfgramm says.

“It struck a chord with them… which is around a values proposition, something that we in the Pacific understand, but something they could also share with their clients. That's what I mean about believing in what you have to offer as a Pacific person.

“Believing it has global value, and then being able to find how that can resonate with others in the world. Who better to tell that story of giving the first fish back to the sea than us? This is where that element of authenticity becomes very important.

“For those guys that go away and try to tell that story, it doesn't resonate the same as from us in the Pacific telling the story.”

Listen to Stan Wolfgramm’s full interview below.