Marae

Te Hora

Te Hora Marae

Maunga: Tutumapou

Awa: Hoiere

Waka: Te Hoiere

Urupa: Te Hora Urupā (aka Canvastown Māori Cemetery)

Wharemoe: Te Rupe o Ruapaka

Wharekai: Kai-au-Wahine

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History

Prior to Te Hora Marae being built, the Te Hora Community Club’s weekends of sports, card games, and general fun as well as whānau gatherings and tangi hakari were held in the Canvastown Hall. The Marlborough District Council later sold the Hall to the Canvastown Settlers Association which meant that overnight hui was no longer possible. Whānau were called together for a series of three hui at the Pines Motor Camp, Whakamarina, to discuss the establishment of a marae.

This dream finally came to fruition with the land known as Block Te Hora 32A 2A 2 being gifted by whānau to be set aside as a Māori Reservation on 28 August 1987. Gorse and scrub dominated the site where once stood a substantial house with cow bail and an orchard of wild cherry trees.

A blessing was held in February 1990 a few days before the major building started. The first buildings were two Ideal Garages purchased for $10,000 by Te Hora Trust. Their delivery to Te Hora was delayed as the transit company somehow lost them for a few weeks. Once they arrived they were partitioned off into a kitchen and meeting area. There was also an old donated office block rebuilt on-site for an ablution block with two toilets and showers. A grant of $20,000 was received from Internal Affairs for wall linings and other fittings. Overwhelming volunteer work and donated material were given by whānau.

On 18 February 1990, the first Ngāti Kuia hui was held at Te Hora Marae. The agenda included the blessing of the whare and the formation of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kuia. The whare was just an empty shell, there were no roof or wall linings, the place echoed, the power had only been connected a few days before and the wind hitting the tin made an awful racket - but the hui carried on.

In 2001 a modern ablution block was built from a combination of iwi money and a $52,000 grant from Lotteries Marae Heritage and Facilities. As part of the project, Hardy Plank exterior cladding was added to the wharenui to match the new amenities. Other projects included a new well, water tank, septic tank, and firewall for the kitchen. Fundraising via the marae komiti bought two new stoves, a refrigerator, and a freezer.

On 23 October 2010, the long-awaited signing of Te Whakatau – The Ngāti Kuia Deed of Settlement took place at Te Hora. Ngāti Kuia continued on with the building of the new Wharekai in 2013 opening its doors on the 19th of March 2016.

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Photo supplied: Te Hora

Wharekai

On March 19th, 2016, Te Hora opened its new wharekai for whānau and public use. The new building represents a development for the Ngāti Kuia people. What started out as two tin garages is now a sustainable state-of-the-art facility. This was perhaps the most significant development since our deed of settlement that was signed in 2010.

Upgrading the facilities gave Ngāti Kuia a marae that can cater events of any size and it brought whānau together, showing them a marae which they can feel proud to call home.

The new upgrades consist of three new buildings:

  • Kai-au-Wahine is the name selected for the wharekai. Kai-au-Wahine was a (mara) garden used by Ngāti Kuia on the northern side of Te Hoiere river.
  • The wharemoe has been named Te Rupe o Ruapaka after the Rupe Kaitiaki of the ancestor Kupe. Kupe would send his Rupe out to discover food sources in the Ngahere. One day the Rupe did not return but settled in the forested area of Orākauhaumu now known as Ruapaka
  • Te Hoiere is the whakaruruhau joining the wharekai and the wharemoe, as the river Te Hoiere flows and joins the Te Hora area to the Ruapaka area.

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Opening Day

The opening was a special day, starting at 4:30 am with a dawn service and a blessing of all of the new buildings. Around 500 people arrived before the break of dawn to take part in this traditional ceremony.

After the blessing, whānau travelled down to the Canvastown Hall where the kitchen staff had prepared an amazing breakfast for everyone. With limited time and facilities, as they were not able to use the new wharekai prior to the blessing, they still managed a great service. After breakfast, whānau had an opportunity to relax and enjoy the new facilities while waiting for the final pōwhiri which was held at 11:00 am.

Following this, the kitchen staff put on another feast in our new wharekai. One of the largest hakari Te Hora had ever put on. The whole day would not have been made possible without the countless numbers of volunteers who helped with the construction of the marae, food preparation, and the setup/clean-up. If it was not for their help and aroha, the day would not have been the success that it was.

This development is more than just an upgrade of our facilities it reflects the development of the Ngāti Kuia people by showing how far we have come in the last thirty years. From our humble beginnings to today, our people continue to grow and develop new skills, showing how diverse we are as an iwi.