Auckland’s last remaining iwi without a marae is a step closer to a century old dream of rebuilding their home on their ancestral land in West Auckland.
Auckland Council has granted Te Kawerau ā Maki $2.2 million towards the first stage of building Te Henga Marae, set for the coast of Bethell’s Beach (Te Henga), alike the old pā site that once stood in the area.
The funding will come from the Council’s Tahua Huanga Ora Māori Outcomes Fund, which it says is subject to conditions such as confirmed co-investment, agreed project scope and governance arrangements.
Te Kawerau ā Maki chief executive Edward Ashby says whānau have gone too long without a place of their own to reconnect, celebrate or grieve.
“Te Kawerau ā Maki have been here for 1000 years plus in terms of our whakapapa, and 400 plus years since Maki’s time, and yet despite all of that we have nowhere,”.
Despite being deeply involved in the West Auckland community, the iwi largely operates from its Henderson office.
“We have to go rent a town hall, we have to go to our whanaunga marae to have tangihanga. A marae is not just a meeting house...It means a lot to us because we don’t have a home in that sense currently”.
Ashby hopes construction will gain momentum over the next five years, but says time is of the essence for the iwi’s kaumātua.
“Five years is a long time when you have people in their 80s,” he says.
“Our whānau have been waiting for a very, very long time for this. The decision from council to help is one piece in a larger puzzle, it’s very well received, but the mahi still has to continue to get us home - but it helps us mobilise the kaupapa and get us one step closer”.
Loss of land and marae
The iwi’s last marae was forced to be abandoned after a dam was built which altered the flow of the Waitākere River and caused the site to flood. The iwi simultaneously suffered loss of all land due to colonisation.
Whenua began returning to the iwi through its Treaty settlement process in the 2010s, followed by the return of land at Te Henga through Auckland Council in 2020.
“It’s really significant to go back to that place as the last almost bastion for Te Kawerau ā Maki and reestablish our Turangawaewae, put a pou in the ground and bring our people back together because they haven’t had a place to come together,” says Ashby.
Unanimous vote for the Council
Councillor Matt Winiata, Auckland Council’s portfolio lead for Māori outcomes, says councillors approved the funding last week.
“It’s very exciting” he says.
Winiata says the move was already on the cards, but it was just a matter of timing for the council.
“The one that kept coming up was Te Henga Marae because of the years behind that, that we had been waiting. Funding has been going elsewhere, going to good things,” he says.
A personal connection
Although relatively new to the role, Winiata says the decision was emotional because members of his whānau, including his late grandfather, walked with Te Kawerau ā Maki through its Treaty settlement negotiations.
“To have that family connection with this iwi in particular, to have the research for their settlement undertaken and be successful, and then for myself to come in and be an active participant in securing their home again, is something that’s been very special,”
He says his grandfather, father and “Uncle Pip” were among those involved in research and foundational work for the treaty settlements.
Winiata is now the same age his grandfather was when he died.
“He passed away when he was 47. That’s the age that I am now. I had no idea how [this happened], but I’ve been very, very proud of where I’ve come from”.
Still more work to do
The funding is only the beginning of a much bigger project and will help go towards enabling works, earthworks and foundational infrastructure.
“It’s about $6.2 million just of site works, and then there’s about $5 million for the marae facilities, then the housing itself is about another five” says Ashby.
“We’re losing our kaumātua every year and we really need help. We’ve got to help ourselves, but we can’t do it all by ourselves.”
