Our Owners

Tangata ako ana i te whare, te turanga ki te marae, tau ana
A person who is taught at home, will stand collected on the Marae

 The proverb tangata ako ana i te whare, te turanga ki te marae, tau ana is the idea that if our tamariki are given proper values at home and cherished within their family, they will not only behave well within the whānau but also within society and throughout their life.

For many of us our marae is an extension of the home and is the place where we can learn and develop, have our values instilled within us, and receive support from the extended family – a platform for a life filled with value.

For the people

Te Āwhina Marae is the marae of the mana whenua ki Motueka, Ngāti Rarua and Te Ātiawa. It’s where we come together to support one another, celebrate our culture, discuss and debate issues and solutions for our people, hold tangi, birthdays and other celebrations, and welcome visitors.

But the marae is more than just a location for events – Te Awhina is a focal point for all our whānau and hapū from young to old. From the onsite independently run pre-school – Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Āwhina, to the kaumatua flats, which provide low cost and secure housing for elders, the marae is an all-encompassing support hub for Motueka’s Māori and wider community and has been for well over 25 years.

Whānau that whakapapa to our lands can access physical and mental health services (delivered by Te Piki Oranga), kaumatua programmes, carving (whakairo) school for whānau requiring extra support, as well as an onsite gym.

Te Wharenui, Turangāpeke

In 1987 a carving school was established, led by the master carver John Mutu of Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama, to begin carving the wharenui, Turangāpeke, which was opened in 1990.

The koruru atop the wharenui is Hui Te Rangiora, the legendary discoverer of Antarctica, who came ashore at the mouth of the Riuwaka River.

The amo on the right (from inside) of the wharenui represents Hoturoa, the captain of the Tainui waka from which Ngāti Rārua ki Motueka people descend, and on the left stands Awangaiariki who was the navigator of the Tokomaru waka, from which Te Ātiawa ki Motueka people descend.

Achieving more

But the wharenui is now dated and too small for what is required of it, similarly the wharekai needs to expand and requires upgrades. So for the services to continue at Te Āwhina it needs to be redeveloped. These redevelopments will include a new and larger wharenui and wharekai, as well as the rebuild of the Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Āwhina, which is now complete.  

It’s incredibly important that we continue to have a central location for culturally appropriate services within our rohe, so the Ngāti Rārua Ātiawa Iwi Trust is proud to support the redevelopment of the marae. The services provided today and what is being planned for the future vision of Te Āwhina is for the overall betterment of the Ngāti Rārua Ātiawa ki Motueka people.