Te Uru Taumatua
What a brilliant Marae! Te Uru Taumatua near Whakatane. Well worth the visit! It’s a Maori Meeting House of Incredible Sustainability and vision. Brilliant! This amazing marae welcomes visitors and enthusiastically explains the journey of transformation. The marae is a treat to behold, and well worth the effort to go and explore. Their journey is documented also in a visually moving DVD documentary available through their store.
Te Uru Taumatua
The Marae divided their criteria for the build into sections:
1. Timber:
The marae is made mainly with timber, to symbolise the connection between the Tuhoe people and the Urewera mountains, and gives structural strength in the advent of an earthquake. Timber has been widely used throughout the building.
The timber facade, with solar panels visible on top.
2. Waste:
Waste water is treated on site, through a series of sedimentation ponds and can treat kitchen and toilet waste efficiently and effectively. The cycling effect is designed to treat up to 5000L waste water per day! Pretty impressive!
‘The Map of Tuhoe Land
3. Stormwater:
As all stormwater is treated and dealt with on site, there is no chance for stormwater to gather fuel run off, rubber tyre traces, road kill or other kerbside undesirable traces.
The impressive adobe wall for climate control.
Textured adobe wall keeps the room warm in winter, cool in summer!
4. Energy:
There are an impressive 326 solar PV panels on the roof of the Marae, the largest array in New Zealand! Not only does this Marae produce all of it’s own power but in the future, could also sell power back into the national energy grid!
A cosy corner nook in the Marae.
The windows allow warm air to escape and cooler air to be drawn in on a hot day.
The veggie gardens….
Sustainable Art: recycled computer bits!
A place for Tuhoe people to feel a Sense of Belonging.
Artwork
Gathering Place before Ceremonies…..
Some of the 326 solar panels…!
If I were Maori, this would definitely be the Marae of my choice! It is appealing on so many levels, well worth a visit to be inspired! Well done guys! Your marae rocks!!
Kia Kaha! Jizzy
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