Nelson Tasman’s new Monopoly on popular game
A new Nelson Tasman version of Monopoly takes players from Wharariki Beach to the Rutherford Hotel.
Along the way you might land at Kaiteriteri, the Boulder Bank or Nelson Cathedral, using local icons for playing tokens such as a Pic’s Peanut Butter jar.
The local twist on the popular board game was launched by the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce in downtown Nelson on Friday as a way of promoting the region and its businesses.
A giant version of the game, complete with outsized dice, was laid out at the top of Trafalgar St. Nelson Airport and Port Nelson fill the utilities spaces on the board and instead of train stations, key industries were featured – seafood, horticulture, tourism and innovation.
Other landmark squares along the way include the Centre of New Zealand, Motueka, Mārahau, Awaroa and Ratanui lodges, and the Cawthron Aquaculture Park. Nelson pub the Free House is in the Park Lane position of the traditional Monopoly board while the Rutherford Hotel occupies the prime Mayfair spot.
Chamber chief executive Ali Boswijk said: “This is more than just a board game – it’s a celebration of our region’s identity and a creative way to promote local businesses.
“Every square on the board tells a story about what makes our region special making it an ideal game for locals and a great souvenir for visitors.”
Boswijk said sales of the game would also provide revenue to keep the organisation’s free mentoring service to businesses going.
That service had been funded under a Government contract that had ended, but the chamber wanted it to continue because of the importance of face-to-face mentoring, particularly for smaller businesses.
The six playing tokens for the game include Split Apple Rock, a Mako shark and G.I.Ant (the Tasman Mako rugby and Nelson Giants basketball mascots) and a pair of spectacles to reflect the Matthews Eyecare running event The Spectacle.
Community Chest cards highlight regional events and festivals and Chance cards feature local activities and businesses.
Nelson Giants captain Sam Dempster, who was at the launch, said the Monopoly edition was a cool way of showcasing the region’s many attractions.
“I think it’s something we as locals take for granted, just what a beautiful place we live in,” he said.
He said he played the junior version of the game with his nine-year-old son, who was already showing “a little bit of competitiveness”.
Dempster is preparing for his 17th year of national league basketball for the Giants, with the season starting next month.
The Nelson Tasman Monopoly game can be bought directly from the Chamber of Commerce website (commerce.org.nz/games) as well as from Paper Plus in Nelson and Richmond and Pic’s Peanut Butter World in Stoke.
By Warren Gamble, Nelson Mail
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