Kaingahoa Marae

Over 100 years ago, our tupuna, Wiremu Te Korohu Whiu and his brother Hori Whiu gathered together local whanau to help build Tūmanako. Wiremu was the master builder for this project. They felled kauri trees from the local bush for the mahi. Te Rīwhi Te Hāra and uncle Te Oti Tarawa put their bullock teams to work to drag the logs out of the bush. They created a pit saw in the drain adjacent to the Whare Hui, to saw the logs for the work ahead of them. Although the Kauri timber was untreated the building has lasted over one hundred years.

Hōri Whiu was the Tohunga and could not participate in any of the manual labour, but his guidance and knowledge pertaining to all marae tikanga (etiquette and protocols) was vital. Our Whare Hui slowly took shape with the efforts of Wiremu and the help of local support. This Whare remains quite unique because of some of the building methods used. Our tupuna were skilled enough to fashion mortise and tenon joints joining the studs in the wall frames to the top and bottom plates. When you are next at Kāingahoa Marae in Matarāua, look at the hand-crafted timbers that still show the saw marks on the outside cladding timber of the whare. Imagine the sweat and effort expended for each saw mark on each individual timber of the Whare.

On completion, this Whare became the focal point for Church Services, Hui Mate, Christenings, Birthdays and Weddings. It became the central hub for all the local whānau, and I emphasise whānau.

Up to the early 1950s, Kai was prepared in a Kāuta, built with manuka supports, with nikau palms, and raupo for the walls and roof. This structure  was maintained and re-cladded with local fauna whenever the need arose (an ongoing exercise through the years).

I do remember the two lengthy food tables and forms that were dug into the earth floor of the Kāuta. The tables were  double-decked to create extra space, which meant extra kai, ensuring the manuhiri were well catered for, one of the cornerstones of whanaungatanga.

In 1953 Matua (uncle Pat Whiu) decided to build a permanent Whare Kai. With the help of his brothers, Tom and Arthur, his good friend Taka Kopa from Ōtaua and whanaunga Chookie Mātene from Tautoro, and us kids in the way again, they made a start.

A stand of pine trees from opposite the Moon farm in Te Iringa was donated by Andre and accepted for the cause. Pei Te Haara, Eddie and Paul Witehira and their father from Ōtaua helped to fell the  trees. These were then loaded aboard a Dairy Company truck and transported for milling at Wharepunga (just below the Johnson’s farm as the road drops away down to Ōtaua). Milling back then was done with a circular saw mill saw with a belt driven off Chookie Matene’s trusty old Fordson Major tractor. Over the next few months friends and local whānau stepped up to help uncle Pat with the construction. After more back breaking work we had a new Whare Kai.

You know whānau, writing this makes it all seem so simple, but briefly consider, the vision, the planning, the finance, the coordination, and let alone the mahi. I am humbly amazed at what our tūpuna were able to achieve with such limited resources. Also around this time re-piling was done to repair some of the flooring to Tūmanako, once again with us kids  in the way. We must have been real hōhā!

In 1958 to commemorate the passing of Paki Whiu and his good wife Elizabeth a bell was erected next to the church. Auntie Rewa Wāka and uncle Pat initiated the purchase of this bell. Auntie Rewa Wāka had a deep desire to honour their memory for all the heartfelt love she received from them since moving to Ngāpuhi from Ngāti Porou. Grand Father Paki Whiu, did not want a Kōhatu Hakamaharatanga (head stone) while our tupuna Tuterangiwhiu remained unmarked. It was decided that their memory be enshrined with the bell.

By the late 1960s time had taken its toll on the untreated timbers to the Whare Kai and these had to be replaced. A new extension was also undertaken. Over the next few years the Auckland whānau did some fundraising with dances at the Scout hall in Homai. Many whanau members gave their time to the construction. Dick Thompson, Bunty Whiu, Selwyn Whiu, Pei Rui Te Haara, and many others helped Uncle Pat and uncle Tom with this work. Various whānau members from Auckland would head home to get in the way on some of the working bee weekends. A toilet and shower block behind the Whare Hui was also completed. By the mid to late 1970s all was done, for now.

We now see our beloved marae call for our help once again. We may turn our heads looking for the old helpers, but most are gone. You can try pointing at someone else but you will see one finger pointing away and three fingers pointing back. You are the marae, I am the marae, We are the marae. Tūmanako means Hope, which opens a door to service and also opportunities. It is now your turn to walk with us in our exciting new building project. Tūmanako needs your help.

To all our whanau, my humble apologies for not including the names of many of you who helped with the mahi but there were bound to be some whānau that I didn't know who had worked in that time. I also believe that you would tautoko all the old people that I have mentioned. There will be many others that gave their time to the cause and I would like to acknowledge their mahi as well. So whānau please let me know, and we can share it on these pages.