Te Poho o Rawiri Marae

Te Poho o Rawiri Marae
Name	Te Poho o Rawiri Marae
Settlement type	Marae
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	New Zealand
Subdivision type1	Region
Subdivision name1	Gisborne District

Te Poho o Rawiri Marae Te Poho o Rawiri Marae is a marae and wharenui located in Gisborne on the East Coast of New Zealand. The marae serves as a focal point for Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Uepōhatu, and affiliated hapū, and functions as a venue for tangihanga, hui, kapa haka, and kaupapa Māori initiatives. The marae has been involved with local institutions such as Gisborne District Council, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Te Wananga o Aotearoa, and national events including Waitangi Day commemorations.

History

The origins of the marae trace to ancestral settlements associated with Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Konohi, and influential leaders recorded in waka traditions such as Horouta and Tūranganui a Kiwa. Historical interactions include connections to the New Zealand Wars, land transactions under the Native Land Court, and responses to colonial-era developments like the Treaty of Waitangi settlements process. During the 20th century the marae hosted visits from figures linked to Māori Renaissance movements, including performers from kapa haka groups that toured alongside Auckland and Wellington troupes, and engaged with national agencies such as Heritage New Zealand and Te Puni Kōkiri.

Location and land

Situated within the rohe of Ngāti Porou near the suburb historically known as Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, the marae occupies land adjacent to waterways referenced in local pūrākau, including places named after chiefs recorded in oral histories. The site sits within the administrative boundaries of Gisborne District, proximate to transport links such as State Highway 35 and regional facilities including Gisborne Hospital and Gisborne Airport. Land tenure reflects interactions with instruments like the Native Land Act 1865 and subsequent settlements under the Ngāti Porou Claims Settlement Act 2012 framework, and the marae has participated in landcare initiatives connected to Ngāti Porou Hauora and environmental partnerships with Department of Conservation.

Architecture and facilities

The wharenui incorporates carvings and tukutuku panels crafted by carvers trained in traditions associated with Pakeha-era revival movements and carvers linked to communities across Te Tai Rāwhiti, with motifs reflecting ancestral narratives tied to waka such as Horouta. The complex includes a wharekai used for communal meals, meeting rooms used by iwi organisations like Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou, and facilities adapted for contemporary use including kitchens meeting standards referenced by Ministry of Health (New Zealand). Upgrades have referenced heritage protocols similar to those applied by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, and designs have drawn on examples from marae such as Waipapa Marae and Te Papa o Te Aroha.

Cultural significance and iwi affiliations

The marae is central to Ngāti Porou identity and to hapū linked to Rāwiri Tāmihana-era lineages, featuring in narratives alongside kapa haka groups that compete at events like Te Matatini and festival circuits reaching Rotorua and Te Tairāwhiti. It functions in kinship networks bridging iwi such as Ngāti Kahungunu and Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki and participates in inter-iwi forums with entities including Iwi Chairs Forum and Māori Women's Welfare League. The marae's carvings and whaikōrero traditions echo wider oral histories preserved in collections at institutions such as Alexander Turnbull Library and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Community functions and events

Regular activities include tangihanga for families from the rohe, noho marae for schools linked to Gisborne Intermediate and Gisborne Boys' High School, and workshops run with providers such as Te Wananga o Aotearoa and Eastern Institute of Technology. The marae hosts regional kapa haka competitions, kaiwāhine gatherings tied to Māori Women's Welfare League programmes, and civil defence coordination efforts liaising with Gisborne District Council Civil Defence during events affecting communities along Te Tairāwhiti coastlines. It also functions as a venue for treaty education workshops connected to Waitangi Tribunal outcomes and restorative justice initiatives involving agencies like New Zealand Police in culturally appropriate frameworks.

Governance and management

Governance structures align with the frameworks of rōpū such as Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou and local marae committees that operate under constitutions influenced by models promoted by Te Puni Kōkiri. Funding and development have involved partnerships with entities including New Zealand Lotteries Commission, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, and philanthropic trusts patterned after arrangements used by marae in Northland and Rotorua. Administrative relationships interface with legal instruments observed by Charities Services and maintenance regimes that follow guidance from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga for heritage taonga protection.

Notable incidents and developments

The marae has been a locus for responses to natural hazards affecting the East Coast, including cyclone impacts similar to those recorded for Cyclone Bola and recovery programmes coordinated with Civil Defence Emergency Management centres. It has featured in regional media covering kaupapa such as treaty settlement milestones under acts like the Ngāti Porou Claims Settlement Act 2012 and in collaborative projects with cultural institutions such as Te Papa and national kapa haka tours featuring performers from Ngāti Porou roopu. Recent development projects have included wharenui restoration efforts, infrastructure upgrades funded through national contestable funds administered by Manatū Taonga and community resilience initiatives connected to Ministry of Health (New Zealand) public health campaigns.

Category:Marae in New Zealand Category:Ngāti Porou