Hoani Waititi Marae is an urban marae located in West Auckland, New Zealand. The marae acts as a community hub for the

Urban Māori Urban Māori are Māori people living in urban areas outside the ''rohe'' (traditional tribal lands) of their ''iwi'' (tribe) or ''hapū'' (sub-tribe). The 2013 New Zealand census showed that 84% of Māori in New Zealand lived in urban areas, 25% ...

population of West Auckland, and is the site of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi, one of the first

Kura Kaupapa Māori Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori-language immersion schools () in New Zealand where the philosophy and practice reflect Māori cultural values with the aim of revitalising Māori language, knowledge and culture. Kura kaupapa Māori are establish ...

established in New Zealand. Some of the largest annual

Waitangi Day Waitangi Day ( mi, Te Rā o Waitangi), the national day of New Zealand, marks the anniversary of the initial signing – on 6 February 1840 – of the Treaty of Waitangi, which is regarded as the founding document of the nation. The first Wait ...

celebrations are held at the marae.

History

During the 1950s and 1960s, the

Department of Māori Affairs Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

encouraged

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

to move from traditional homes, usually in rural areas of the country, to the major cities of New Zealand, in order to provide labour for businesses and factories. In

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

first settled around the city's inner suburbs such as

Freemans Bay Freemans Bay is the name of a former bay and now inner city suburb of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The bay has been filled in to a considerable extent, with the reclamation area now totally concealing the ancient shoreline. Hist ...

, Ponsonby, however as housing quality was often substandard, the

New Zealand Government , background_color = #012169 , image = New Zealand Government wordmark.svg , image_size=250px , date_established = , country = New Zealand , leader_title = Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern , appointed = Governor-General , main_organ = , ...

established large-scale housing projects in the city's outer suburbs, including

Te Atatū Te Atatū (from the Māori : "the dawn") is the name of two adjacent suburbs in West Auckland, New Zealand: ''Te Atatū Peninsula'' and ''Te Atatū South''. They are located next to each other some 10 kilometres to the west of the Auckland city ...

in West Auckland. The Urban Māori population of West Auckland greatly increased, especially

Ngāti Porou Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou is affiliated with the 28th Maori Battalion and has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zealand ...

from the Gisborne District and Ngāpuhi from Northland. Many people felt alienated from their traditional lands,

hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally opera ...

structures, and that their connection to

Māori culture Māori culture () is the customs, cultural practices, and beliefs of the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand. It originated from, and is still part of, Polynesians, Eastern Polynesian culture. Māori culture forms a distinctive part of Cul ...

was being lost. Fundraising for a Māori-led community hub began in 1967, In 1973-74

Hoani Waititi Hoani Retimana Waititi (12 April 1926 – 30 September 1965) was a notable New Zealand teacher, educationalist and community leader. Of Māori people, Māori descent, he identified with the Te Whānau-ā-Apanui iwi. He was born in Whangapar ...

Marae (Inc.) leased 3.45 ha of Parrs Park to construct urban marae facilities. On 19 April 1980 the Hoani Waititi Marae was opened. The marae is named after

, a West Auckland resident who spent years of his life promoting adult education among West Auckland Māori communities. The marae less serves as a traditional meeting place of a specific hapū, typical of marae, and instead acts as a space that is distinctively Māori: a place for Māori values, language and norms. In 1984, Te Whānau o Waipareira (the Wairareira Trust) was established a united body to promote Māori wellbeing in West Auckland, operating from the same complex as the marae. In the same year, two major figures involved with Hoani Waititi Marae, Aroha Sharples and Pita Sharples, saddened at hearing that children who attended Kōhanga Reo (language immersion kindergartens) felt the need to suppress their language and culture in mainstream schools, began establishing a

school at the marae. Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi opened the following year in 1985. The school is often called the first Kura Kaupapa to open in New Zealand, and the school was widely influential, as a model for the creation of other kura kaupapa across the country. The marae's annual

celebrations greatly grew in popularity in the 2010s, with an estimated 35,000 people attending the 2019 Waitangi Day event. In 2021 three markets were held at Hoani Waititi Marae. These offered entertainment, Māori cuisine and the opportunity to purchase

taonga ''Taonga'' or ''taoka'' (in South Island Māori) is a Maori-language word that refers to a treasured possession in Māori culture. It lacks a direct translation into English, making its use in the Treaty of Waitangi significant. The current d ...

directly from the artists.

Wharenui

The wharenui of the marae is called Ngā Tūmanako. The

whakairo Toi whakairo (art carving) or just whakairo (carving) is a Māori traditional art of carving in wood, stone or bone. History Timber was formed into houses, fencepoles, pouwhenua, containers, taiaha, tool handles and waka (boats). Carving to ...

of the wharenui was designed by

Hōne Taiapa Hōne Te Kāuru Taiapa (10 August 1912 – 10 May 1979), also known as John Taiapa, was a Māori master wood carver and carpenter of Ngāti Porou. He was the younger brother of master Māori carver Pine Taiapa. The two brothers worked closely ...

, and primarily carved by Laurie Nicholas While typical marae depict tupuna (ancestors) or traditional stories associated with the area, a different style was chosen for Hoani Waititi Marae, as the marae was not claiming traditional ownership of West Auckland, instead acting as an urban hub and a Māori cultural space. The poupou represent seven migratory waka that voyaged to New Zealand, depicting seven regional art styles, so that no single group could claim ownership of the space. Three Western-style ships are depicted in the carvings, including

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

's ship the HMS ''Endeavour''.

References

External links

Hoani Waititi Marae Official Website
{{New Zealand marae 1980s architecture in New Zealand Buildings and structures in Auckland Marae in New Zealand Waitākere Ranges Local Board Area West Auckland, New Zealand