Kia ū ki te Marae, mā te Marae ka kīa koe he tangata

SAVE THE DATE! NOVEMBER 20 2021

We are holding a walkthrough to help with key decisions

As an iwi, we have spent our three most recent wānanga looking at concept drawings for the future of our marae. On 20 November 2021 at 10am, we want to bring this into the real world by holding a walkthrough for whānau to see the options for the rebuilds pegged out on the marae. This will enable us all to envisage how real hui would work with the proposed build, and help us to make choices about the location of a whare hou. 

How to register for the walkthrough on 20 November 2021

In order to conduct the walkthrough safely, we will take groups or bubbles of up to 10 people at a time. A form will be circulated over the coming days by email, and posted here on the website, so that you can register your group. Each group will be allocated a time.

These arrangements, as well as the fact that the walkthrough will take place outdoors, will give us a strong level of protection against the spread of Covid-19.

During the walkthrough, you will be able to see the possible locations of the new whare and the proposed extension of Te Aroha marked out with pegs and string. We hope that this will enable everyone to envisage the flow of people and observance of tikanga during a future hui. We will arrange to collect feedback both on the day and afterwards. 

To update your contact details please email these to office@ngatimutunga.iwi.nz.

Where we aim to be by the Annual General Meeting in 2022

After the walkthrough, the Whakapakari Working Committee want to collect further feedback and move quickly into advising the Urenui Pā Trustees on next steps. By the time of the AGM in 2022, the Working Committee aims to have completed the following:

·  An agreed Master Plan showing landscaping and the location of a Whare Hou

·  A detailed plan completed for Mahi Tamariki

·  Detailed layout and concept plans for the refurbished and extended Te Aroha, based on the ‘Plan C’ option with a broad outlook at the back of the extended whare and increased capacity in the wāhine part of the ablutions block

·  A detailed fix on costings for the above two projects

More work will then lie ahead, including finalising funding arrangements, before moving into action on Mahi Tamariki and Te Aroha. These two whare will be the first priorities, in keeping with the original priorities agreed for the Whakapakari project in the Terms of Reference.

Main considerations in location of whare hou
Where would it sit?

A whare hou would allow us to hold larger hui more comfortably and could include carver or other design elements that tell our stories.

Our immediate goal is to reach a decision on where a whare hou might stand in the future. This will be marked on a master plan so that can be actioned in the future, following the first stage of restoring Mahi Tamariki and restoring / extending Te Aroha.

At our previous two wānanga, Studio Pacific have presented a number of drawings to show where the whare might be placed. After weighing feedback from the iwi, the Working Committee will give its advice to the Urenui Pā Trustees for them to make decisions.

Discussions about the drawings prepared by Studio Pacific Architects have left us with three main options for locating a new whare, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages:

·         Between Titohea and Mahi Tamariki (Option A)

·         Connected to Titohea (Option B)

·         New whare located across the ātea at the bottom of the hill, opposite        Titohea (Option C).

You will be able to see each of these options marked out for the walkthrough.

How will we make the decision?

The main things that will be taken into account in deciding on the location of a whare hou are:

·  Consistency with our tikanga and kawa, with consideration of functionality during different kinds of hui or with multiple events happening on at once

·  People flow and ease of connection between whare in all weather during hui

· Access that facilitates manaakitanga – including disability access, parking, and ability to offload bags

· Visual flow in harmony with te taiao, including orientation around moana and mounga, and connection between whare

· Sustainability and future proofing – so that whatever we do remains fit for purpose for use by future generations

· Cost – including construction cost and any future costs such as maintenance.

Once we have decided where a whare hou could stand, we will be ready to look at the next level of decisions, such as:

·  What amenities are required at the whare hou (in relation to overall amenity available across the pā)

·  Kaumātua lounge requirements

·  Detailed interior design to ensure functionality appropriate to kawa

Involving our own artists

Having had specific wānanga with wāhine and kaumātua, we also plan to engage with Ngāti Mutunga artists and creatives in the near future, as their input will begin to become more crucial. If you or any of your whānau may be interested, please get in touch to let us know!

How to provide feedback

The Working Group, Pā Trustees and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga mihi to all those who have provided input throughout the process so far.

It’s important that we make every effort to reach shared understanding and to reflect our collective dreams in the designs that are being produced at the moment.

This is in addition to the many other opportunities for ngā uri o Ngāti Mutunga to contribute.

At any time before or after the wānanga, we are open to receiving your feedback by email (office@ngatimutunga.iwi.nz) or phone (06-752-3247).