Te Puia | New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute has today advised its team, contractors and trade customers that it will be closing for an unknown period at 6pm today, Saturday March 21 due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 relating to a visitor at the site earlier in March.

The visitor – from the United States – visited Te Puia for its evening Te Po experience on Sunday March 8, and was diagnosed in the United States on March 18 after returning home.

Te Puia Chief Executive Officer, Tim Cossar says he understands the visitor was not feeling sick when they were at Te Puia.

'The case has been reported to Ministry of Health by the tour company involved.

'We have spoken with Healthline and they, and us, believe we are low risk. But we have had to take some necessary measures as a result,” says Tim.

'The health, safety and wellbeing of our people and manuhiri is our absolute priority, so we are closing from 6pm tonight and will not be open until further notice.

'Our people have been asked to stay at home unless they have been contacted by a Senior Manager and to practise appropriate social distancing measures.”

Tim says he wants to reinforce that this decision has been made today as a direct result of the confirmed COVID-19 case, and is separate from other work underway regarding future changes the operation may need to make.

'As our Chairman said earlier this week, we are operating in unprecedented times, which requires an unprecedented response.

'The legacy of our operation goes back more than 200 years and the decisions we are working through now will ensure that legacy can continue long into the future.”