Rāpaki Marae, 2010

The Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga opens its new whare, Maahunui on Saturday, December 1, beginning with visitors gathering at Tuahiwi Urupā for the walk to the marae complex, escorted by the Ngā Pou o te Haahi Ratana Band.

After the blessing there will be a welcoming pōwhiri and celebrations that include whakawhanaungatanga, entertainmment and kai.

It’s a busy time for building in the Ngāi Tahu takiwā at the moment. Further south, Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou on Otago Peninsula is forging ahead with the building of its new wharekai extensions; and on the West Coast, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae is also building a new whare kai.

Rāpaki Marae, Opening, 2010

Just two years ago, Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke built a beautiful, new $2.7-million wharenui at Rāpaki. The house, Wheke, sits above the pretty sheltered cove of Rāpaki on Banks Peninsula and records the hapū and iwi history and traditions through ornate carvings, paintings, and woven tukutuku panels. It was the culmination of a decade of planning, consultation hui, fundraising and whakapapa research and close to 1,000 people attended the opening day that began with a dawn ceremony. Today it is the heart of the Rāpaki community and the people and their stories remain the heart of the marae.

Takahanga Marae, Kaikōura

All of this is a continuation of marae development among Ngāi Tahu Papatipu Rūnanga that began around twenty years ago. In Kaikōura, Ngāti Kuri established  marae buildings in the mid-1980s on the exact site of that original wharenui that stood there two hundred years before (Kāti Mamoe established the original marae 450 years ago). The rūnanga then opened their contemporary wharenui in 1992 and today it is known for both its striking hill-top location and its extensive collection of contemporary sculptures throughout the grounds.

Te Rau Aroha Marae, Bluff

In the deep south, Te Rau Aroha Marae at Bluff is the world’s southernmost marae. It was originally established in the late 1800s as a hostel for local Māori who lived on islands off Southland’s coast.  The marae proper was established in 1985 and the beautiful whare tipuna, Tahu-pōtiki, was opened in February 2003.  Designed by prominent Māori artist and heritage advocate, Cliff Whiting, it is a striking contemporary facility that pays homage to hapū and iwi history through magnificent carvings and building interiors designed by Whiting.

It is fitting that the first marae to be built on Te Tai o Poutini (the West Coast) in more than 140 years, was built at Mahitahi (Bruce Bay), in South Westland, where Māui first landed. Thus, Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio’s  beautiful new marae – opened on January  23, 2005 – is named Te Tauraka Waka a Māui.

Te Tauraka Waka a Māui Marae, South Westland

The two West Coast hapū – Kāti Waewae and Kāti Māhaki ki Makaawhio – lost their original marae when the gold rush began on the West Coast during the 1800s; but when the new Ngāti Waewae house is completed, their dreams of new marae will have finally been realised.

The renaissance of Ngāi Tahu marae in recent years is very much in line with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu’s vision of  a full cultural revival. That focus on the protection and enhancement of Ngāi Tahu culture is seen as essential to maintaining the life-force and integrity of the tribe. One part of that cultural revitalisation has been the recent establishment of the Marae Development Fund. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi  Tahu has committed $1 million each year to the fund, to assist with large capital works projects and smaller, maintenance-related activities on  Ngāi Tahu Papatipu Marae. In all, the rūnanga has committed $17 million to cultural revitalisation projects since 1998.