Opening date set for symbol of Ngati Awa unity

Kia ora, I am very happy about the return of this ancient ancestral home being re-established in my hometown. Tino pai, Taima

Opening date set for symbol of Ngati Awa unity
Whakatane Beacon; Tuesday, 10 May 2011

The Ngati Awa cultural Te Manuka Tutahi Marae complex containing the historic Mataatua Wharenui will be officially opened in September. The Ngati Awa cultural Te Manuka Tutahi Marae complex containing the historic Mataatua Wharenui will be officially opened in September.
THE final act in a 130-year journey will be completed in September when the much-travelled Mataatua Wharenui is re-opened in Whakatane.
Te Runanga o Ngati Awa recently confirmed Saturday, September 17 as the official opening date for the carved Maori meeting house, which was originally opened in Whakatane in 1875.
The Mataatua Wharenui is the focal point of the Te Manuka Tutahi Marae complex, being constructed on Muriwai Drive.
Only five years after its original opening, the wharenui was disassembled by the New Zealand Government, packed into crates and sent to Sydney for the 1879 British Empire Exhibition. So began a series of journeys that would see the house taken to Melbourne, London and Dunedin.
Te Runanga o Ngati Awa chief executive Jeremy Gardiner said the house was originally constructed to “unite and re-inspire” the hapu of Ngati Awa, who were reeling from the effects of the raupatu (land confiscations), and the purpose of unifying and signalling renewed development is still the case today.
“One of the main reasons Mataatua Wharenui was built was to unite and bring hope to Ngati Awa at a particularly dark time in our history. One hundred and thirty years later, this is still very much the case. Mataatua Wharenui is a symbol of Ngati Awa unity and resilience – a place where, together, we can celebrate our history, our present and our future.”
Mr Gardiner says this sense of unity was intrinsic to the wharenui, in that all members of Ngati Awa can trace their ancestry to at least one of the ancestors represented in the house’s carvings.
“The carvings in the wharenui represent some of our most prominent ancestors and, in fact, well known ancestors across the country.
“All of Ngati Awa will have a genealogical connection to at least one of these ancestors.”
The complex is also expected to bring significant benefits to the Whakatane community as a medium-to-large conference and events venue.
“The wharenui can accommodate meetings and conferences of up to 200 seated while the wharekai (dining room) can seat up to 150 restaurant-style.
“A conference venue with such an inherent cultural significance is certainly a point of difference and one that could be quite attractive to local, national and even international audiences.”
The complex will also boast a world-class visitor experience centred on the fascinating story of Mataatua Wharenui.