Turangawaewae Marae, Ngaruawahia
New Zealand marae have been part of their communities for generations. They are a place of family and community, spiritual places where the dead are mourned (tangi), guests housed (manuwhiri), feasts held (haraki) and weddings and reunions celebrated.
As with all buildings, the time for replacement or refurbishment inevitably arrives, as it did for two whare moe (sleeping houses) at the Tainui Turangawaewae Marae.
Built in the 1930s, Pare Hauraki and Kimikimi were in need of repair. The tapu associated with the marae meant a new building had to have the same functions as the former two marae moe. The new two-storey Pare Hauraki-Kimikimi sleeps up to 350 people and has a dining hall attached that serves as a satellite to the main dining hall, as well as toilet and shower facilities.
The mana of the two prior buildings is retained, with a single structure designed to recognise and accentuate their spirits, Pare Hauraki and Kimikimi. The twin-pitched roof symbolises and recognises the two spirits while the expressed concrete structure within symbolises the "body" of the building, with its ridge beam and spine and radiating ribs. Tahuhu panels and heke adorn the ceiling, providing a rich reminder of times past.
