Te Rūnaka o Awarua is preparing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Te Rau Aroha Marae in Motupōhue Bluff in early February.

Manuariki Tini, the event organiser, shared that the celebrations will be held over three days from 7 to 9 February. In recognition of the significant community involvement building the marae and acknowledging the role of the marae in the local community, this celebration is open to all.

“The first day will be for Te Rau Aroha Marae, Awarua, Murihiku whānau and our local community. The second day will bring in the wider iwi and representatives of Ngāi Tahu and ngā iwi o te motu.”

Sunday will mark exactly 40 years since the opening of the Wharekai on 9 February 1985. A hautapu will be held early that morning for whānau to acknowledge those who have passed, reflect on the present and look to the future.

“Drawing on the strong female influence within this space, one of the key events on Sunday will be the opportunity for a number of wāhine māori to receive their moko kauae.”

Maria Pera, who was 26 at the time the marae opened, was one of the young wāhine who helped to coordinate the building of Te Rau Aroha Marae alongside Manuariki’s parents Maria and Blackie Tini and aunty Huhana Morgan.

Maria Pera says that in the 1970s Maria and Blackie Tini used to take a kapa haka group, ‘Te Rangimarie,’ at Waitaha hall on Barrow Street. 

“In the late 70s, the Waitaha hall burned down, and people didn't have a space to practice anymore," Maria Pera says. 

“Maria Tini turned to me in the supermarket one day and asked if I knew how to light a coal range. That started the connection and lead to the drive to build a marae” she says.

“Building the marae involved a lot of fundraising, hands-on mahi and asking for help. But those were the good days for us. My sisters and I were always there with our kids. It was a whānau thing.”

In the 1970s and 80s, Bluff offered copious employment opportunities which attracted skilled workers from all over Aotearoa. Te Rau Aroha, both as a marae and as a community, was built by the hands of many iwi Māori and Pasifika whānau.

“The community grew curious about what we were doing, so people would come up and ask us. We’d often see them return with tools in hand, wanting to help in some way. So, it was a hive of activity that many people were involved in,” Maria Pera says.

The wharekai took nearly two years to complete, and Maria says: “the opening in 1985 was huge, with 2,500-3000 people in attendance, from all over the place.” 

Renowned Māori artist Cliff Whiting was invited to assist with the design of the new wharerau, which was opened in 2003.

“We named the wharenui ‘Tahu Potiki’ after our tupuna who came to Te Waipounamu from Ngāti Porou. To us, that represented our Ngāi Tahu whānau as well as our mātāwaka who were instrumental in the development of our marae,” Maria Pera says. 

“The mana of Te Rau Aroha remains in this building, which was built by many, for all of us.”

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