Araiteuru Marae

The second World War gave the foundation to the concept of Araiteuru Marae when members of the Maori Battalion on those very lonely nights on the battle fields discussed issues which concerned them all. From these discussions came the statement; 'we fought together, we died together as one, surely there must be a place in our own land where we can be as one'.

A meeting of concerned elders and members of the Dunedin Maori Community established the Araiteuru Marae Council on 28 April 1964. From the beginning, it was determined to provide for all Maori people in the district, whatever their tribal origin, and the approach to this difficult traditional problem relied on the idea of including members appointed by each Maori organisation as delegates to a representative Council.

Araiteuru is a holistic institution. It is an urban Marae. Its aim is to foster goodwill and understanding among the diverse ethnic culture in Dunedin. It represents the collective interests of multi-tribal and multi-cultural groups and individuals.

The Marae is a living thing. Its whole reason for being is for a place for people to come together, to interact, to create, to form friendships and to provide a forum where issues of importance can be dicussed. It embraces the human essence from the time of birth to the time of death. It is a vital centre for the community.

When the Marae was originally completed in 1980, (the first urban marae in New Zealand) it served as an educational centre, training in arts and crafts, customs, language classes, cultural evenings, Tangihanga, and a meeting place for different organisations from throughout Aotearoa and afar. The Marae fulfilled a specific need for all the community comprising of all cultures.

A priority of Marae functions, is the Tangihanga (rituals for our deceased). Protocols and procedures are adhered to for the duration of the Tangihanga (which can last up to a week). These protocols are strongly maintained by the families and tribes to honour their dead. These practices are known as tribal kawa.

The unique advantages of Araiteuru Marae is that it is available to all tribes and allows Pacific Island and other Ethnic groups to have their deceased friends and relatives lie at the Marae, whereby they direct the proceedings and protocols.

Araiteuru Marae Council consists of delegates from various organisation and groups throughout Otepoti (Dunedin) and Otago. Past and present members had also worked extremely hard for eighteen years to raise funds for the original building and its maintenance.

On 18 August 1997 Araiteuru Marae was burnt to the ground. It was a tragic event, which has taken its toll on the ability of the local Maori community to recover from this grave injustice. Around the same time the Ngai Tahu Maori Law Centre was burnt to the ground. Both torchings coincided with the settling of the Kai Tahu land claims, a critical landmark decision.

The community understands little about this incident. What matters is to reconstruct and recreate a new vision for our future. Many different cultures contributed to the construction of the original building and for that we are extremely grateful.