Wellington marae looks to its rebuild

It’s come full circle for the whanau behind Wellington’s Tapu Te Ranga marae.

In 1974, marae founder Bruce Stewart started his building work with the help of the downtrodden, many of them from the gangs of Wellington. In 2019, five months after a fire ripped through the marae destroying the main building Pare Waaka, offenders on community service are helping clear the site for the rebuild.

Where Pare Waaka once stood are piles of blackened debris, littered with chunks of concrete.

Tapu Te Ranga spokesperson Gabriel Tupou said the whanau’s priority was to get it out of the way and move forward to rebuild the marae. ‘‘But we also lost our papakainga [collective housing] to the fire so it’s also a priority for us to provide housing for our people.’’

He wasn’t able to confirm a timeframe, as the whanau was working through its plans.

Following the June 9 fire, Stuff reported the only confirmed consent the marae had was for a single potting shed. In 2015, four buildings in front of the marae were issued dangerous building notices and the main building, which was destroyed, also received a notice – due mostly to fire safety concerns.

Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis visited the marae yesterday to see the work being done.

Community partners such as Wellington City Council and the Ministry of Social Development have helped house the people displaced by the fire and the council was also helping to fund clearing the site.