The Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust sent a letter yesterday to Kaka Point residents proposing establishing a creative residency at Tuwhare's Kaka Point home.
Preserving Tuwhare's crib was one of the best ways of keeping his legacy alive, his son, Rob Tuwhare, told the Otago Daily Times from Auckland.
"The trust's all signed and sealed.
"It feels really good.
"We sent a letter to all the Kaka Point residents this morning letting them know our plans for the residency," he said yesterday.
"The trust's first goal is to raise enough funds to purchase and restore his crib at Kaka Point.
"The whare will then be used as a writers' residence, giving other New Zealanders the opportunity to create work in the same environment that inspired Dad," he said.
"Eventually, the trust would like to support the development of resources for schools, in English and Maori, covering writing, poetry, self-expression and Dad's life and work.
"We also plan to initiate events that celebrate his contribution to the arts in New Zealand," Mr Tuwhare said.
"While the writers' residence will be located in South Otago, the trust will have a nationwide focus.
"Dad toured the country extensively, and we want his legacy to travel just as far.
"Our priority is to open the residency to writers from throughout New Zealand."
The poet lived the last 16 years of his life in the modest seaside crib.
He moved to Kaka Point in 1992 and lived there until his death in Dunedin, aged 85, in January 2008.
"In the coming months, we are planning a series of events and activities in Dunedin and Auckland to begin fundraising for the purchase and upgrade of the crib," Mr Tuwhare said.
The Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust patron is Sir Paul Reeves and the trustees are Rob Tuwhare, Ella Henry, Carol Hirschfeld and Matt Shirtcliffe, while Dunedin poet Peter Olds has a writers' liaison role.
