Mataura marae gets closer to completion
It’s been sitting incomplete in Mataura for about 30 years, but now the marae is about to go under construction.
Tahu Parkinson and Oti Murray from the Invercargill-based cultural trust, Te Taonga Mauri, took up the project a month ago.
Murray said the site’s shell structure was completed about 30 years ago, but no traditional carvings had been installed. The site’s biggest downfall, and one of the reasons construction had stopped, was changes to the meat works.
The pair were approached by Te Puni Kokiri to finish the marae at the beginning of the year, he said. The project was expected to cost about $300,000 to complete, Murray said.
The completion was supported by the Gore District Council, mayor Tracy Hicks and Sir Tipene O’Regan, and would be completed with the help of the New Zealand Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua.
A team of eight carvers, led by master carver James Rickard, would be on loan from the institute to help with the carving, weaving and painting.
The project was a big undertaking, Murray said.
‘‘One carving could take between one and four weeks to complete.’’
Most similar structures took about four years to complete, but with the help of the Institute the trust hoped to be finished in six months.
‘‘If we can get it finished in less than a year it will be groundbreaking.’’
The marae is located on a two hectare block of land on the corner of Dorset and Blampied streets.
The project would include installing traditional carving and weaving in the four flats and the large hall.
The trust would also create several gardens including a Mara Kai (food garden), two meditation gardens - one for men, one for women, and a heritage garden with fruit trees.
The trust was also considering making an area available for freedom campers and opening up a cafe, Murray said. The whole site would be wheelchair friendly and family friendly.
‘‘There will be walkways and playgrounds accessible to the public ... Once completed the site would be available for all schools and the community to use.’’
An electrician and and engineer went through the site and brought it up to compliance earlier this month.
Men from the probation department had also helped clean up and get the grounds up to scratch.
The site had huge cultural significance to people living in the area and it was time it was completed properly, Murray said.
The aim of the marae was to bring people back to Maori culture, he said.
‘‘Southland Maori heritage is not as developed as its northern counterparts.’’
The trust was looking for volunteers to help paint and weave panels that would be installed on the marae and would run workshops in the next few months.
Parkinson said the project was a big learning curb for him. It would be the first traditional marae he had worked on.
‘‘It is an honour to be a part of a project like this.’’