Section outline

  • Te wiki o tō mātau haerenga ki te Whare Wānanga o Owairoa

    (The week of our visit to the learned house of Owairoa)

    Te Whare o Mātariki sits in Emilia Maud Nixon’s Tainui Garden of Memories on Uxbridge road in Howick on the site of the original 1936 Wharewhakairo [image 1 below]

     

    Image 1: The marae in 1947

    Image 2: The marae in 1991

    Image 3: The original marae was sadly the victim of an arson attack in 2004, in 2007/2008 Te whare o Mātariki was finally rebuilt on the same grounds as the original that was the only identifiable Māori presence in Howick from 1936 up until the arson attack in 2004.

    Image 4: Emilia Maud Nixon, the owner of the land on which the Marae now exists - she donated the land to local Māori in the 1930’s as she strongly disapproved of the treatment of Tangata Whenua by local Pākehā settlers throughout her lifetime. [Image 2 below]


    Tēnā koutou katoa,

    On Friday we will be venturing to Matariki marae in Owairoa. So, this means we need to have our waiata sounding powerful, our pepeha should be practiced daily this week at home, and our understanding of the powhiri process clear. The purpose of our visit is to begin your connection with te ao Māori and the local people who walk in that world. This is our first visit and we will be manuhiri (visitors), but it will not be our last visit - Te whare o Mātariki will be a connection to this place for the rest of your lives; it is my hope that you will gain a feeling of belonging in Aotearoa from this experience, and after this first visit the whānau of that whare will always welcome you back in the future. This is the beginning of shaping your own Tūrangawaewae (place to stand) in our local community. On the day we will experience the powhiri, perform a waiata, share your pepeha, explore the ngahere (forest), & visit the whare taonga (museum). Please bring a packed lunch on the day, there will be some biscuits and drink supplied at the whare too. [image 3 >>]


    He Kāpiti hono, he tatai hono. (That which becomes joined remains unbroken)[<<image 4]


    We are learning to…

    • Understand the tīkanga of powhiri (Kaikaranga, Kaiwhaikorero, Waiata, Hariru, Koha, Tangata Whenua, Manuhiri)

    • Demonstrate the importance of pepeha

    • Understand and perform a waiata

    I will know I have succeeded when I am able to…

    • Explain the 5 main aspects of powhiri processes

    • Say my pepeha in reo Māori & explain what it means in English

    • Sing the waiata Purea nei confidently & powerfully