Wellington Marae finally set to open

Massey Wellington’s new marae, Te Rau Karamu Marae, is set to finally open after five years of delay. The marae formally opened on Saturday, but discussion by the Marae Management Committee still needs to be undergone to decide the kawa and tikanga under which the marae will operate.  

Raewyn Rasch, Director of Māori @ Massey, says that this process is expected to take “about a month before the marae will be available for use” and will decide how the marae can be used and booked. “The opening of this marae is very significant for Massey and an exciting step forward for Māori students and staff and the entire Pukeahu campus community,” she says.  

Work on the marae started in 2015, with the project originally expected to finish in mid-2016. Rasch says that the original schedule was “somewhat unrealistic given the complexity of the project” and says that the project has faced a “variety of issues” including the liquidation of the main contractor, personnel changes and Covid-19. She notes, however, that these delays have a “silver lining” in that the completed project “will deliver far more than originally envisaged or planned – both in design, campus impact, whakairo (art works) and usability”. 

According to Rasch, in late 2020, the Senior Leadership Team assigned additional budget to enable the completion of the project. She says, “There is no doubt many people have worked extremely hard to see the project through and the Marae Completion Group believe what has been delivered will truly become a vital place for Māori students and staff, a warm and vibrant heart [of] the Pukeahu Campus community and a strong connection to mana whenua and the local community.”