Much travelled Māori wharenui home to stay

Joy and solemn ceremony brought an epic 136-year journey to an end this week when a treasured Māori wharenui or carved meeting house was reopened in its rightful New Zealand home.

The historic Mātaatua Wharenui was originally built by the local Māori tribe - at Whakatane, in the Bay of Plenty - but had been away from its people since 1880.

One of the biggest carved meeting houses ever built, the wharenui has spent most of its life travelling the world and the homecoming is seen as one of the most significant Māori cultural happenings of modern times.

Local Māori described the wharenui’s opening as a joyous end to its separation from those who lovingly built it, and a celebration of the unifying role that it would play in the future of its people.

Symbol of strength
The colossal 24-metre long, 12.5-metre wide and 7.5-metre high carved house was built by the Ngāti Awa tribe in the 1870s as a symbol of unity and inspiration.

In 1879, it was dismantled by the New Zealand government and shipped to a series of significant colonial exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne, London and finally Dunedin.

Finally, under a government deed, the house was returned to Ngāti Awa, and the past 15 years has been spent restoring the badly damaged house to its original majesty.

Ancient ceremony
Thousands of hours of labour came to fruition when the house was opened in a dawn ceremony last Saturday (17.09.2011) attended by Māori King Te Arikinui Tūheitia Paki, Māori MP Te Ururoa Flavell and representatives from many of New Zealand’s Māori tribes.

A crowd of 3000 converged on Whakatane’s Te Mānuka Tūtahi Marae to witness the historic moment.

Representatives from Hawaii and the Cook Island of Mauke were also present at the opening as recognition of the close relationship between Māori and the people of the Pacific Islands.

Ancient ritual
The ancestral house was welcomed back with an ancient pre-dawn opening ritual that is rarely witnessed today.

Known as kawanga whare or Te Tai i Te Kawa, the ceremony was led by respected tohunga / Māori spiritual leaders or high priests.

This rare and ancient ritual is traditionally undertaken to lift the tapu or sacred spiritual restriction of a house so that it may be used socially in comfort and confidence.

The ceremony began before sunrise and involved two ruahine / respected women of rank, as well as a puhu / young girl who was cloaked in ceremonial dress and adorned with treasured ornaments.

After the ceremony, a hakari / ceremonial feast marked the beginning of celebrations which continued into the night with the inaugural Ngāti Awa Festival featuring talented Mataatua artists Maisey Rika, Ngātapa Black, Hoani Ranapia and Sydney hip-hop ensemble The Kumpnee.

Background: The Mātaatua Wharenui story

Built by Ngāti Awa in 1875, the huge wharenui was said to be "fit for a queen" - and dedicated to the Queen of England so that if she ever came to New Zealand, she would have a house in Whakatane.

The tribe had suffered severely during colonisation and the house was seen as a symbol of the unity, strength and resilience of the Ngāti Awa people.

But soon after completion, Mātaatua Wharenui was uplifted by the government and shipped overseas to represent New Zealand at anthropological exhibitions.

The meeting house endured a century of foreign travel that saw it put up, taken down and turned inside out - first in Sydney, then Melbourne and London. Then, when it returned to New Zealand, it was sent to the Otago Museum - faraway in the South Island city of Dunedin - where it stayed for 70 years.

Finally Mātaatua Wharenui has returned to its true home in Whakatane where - after 15 years of painstaking restoration - it is set to fulfil its real role as a focus for local people, and also offer a new tourism experience.

Home to rest
The wharenui’s final resting place is on the site where it was originally built - in a dramatic coastal setting with native bush clad backdrop, on the outskirts of Whakatane.

The huge meeting house is the central point in a complex that now incorporates modern dining and conference facilities, and will provide a Māori cultural tourism experience that local experts say is unlike anything currently available in New Zealand.

As well as hearing the fascinating story of the wharenui and learning the traditions and history of the tribe - all brought to life with the latest interactive digital technology - visitors will experience legendary Ngāti Awa hospitality and have the chance to meet local elders, descendants of the tribe’s great chiefs.

Rare features
Apart from its size - 24m / 79ft long by 12.5m / 41ft wide by 7.5m / 24ft high - Mātaatua Wharenui has a number of rare features.

It is the only wharenui in existence with two sets of twins depicted on the two upright carved amo / supports on the front gable of the house.

When it was dismantled and taken to Sydney in 1879 for the British Empire Exhibition, the wharenui was carried on a ship smaller than the house itself.

When Mātaatua Wharenui was re-assembled in Sydney, the interior walls were facing out so that the carved panels were exposed and subsequently damaged by the elements. This was because there was no money to send anyone with cultural knowledge along with the house.

Having been built "fit for a queen", the wharenui eventually fulfilled its role when British monarchs King George and Queen Mary visited the British Empire Exhibition in 1924, and were photographed on the front porch.

European carver
On its return to New Zealand in 1925, the house was repaired by a European carver in Auckland who added extra details including a sequence bizarrely depicting the famous New Zealand horse Phar Lap winning the 1930 Melbourne Cup.

During its extensive journeying, many of the wharenui panels were badly damaged. Some did not return at all, and highly skilled carvers have worked painstakingly for the past 15 years to return the house to its former glory.

Woven panels
The delicate woven panels were also virtually destroyed during its century on the move, and in 1996 the search began to find an expert skilled in the traditional art of Māori raranga / weaving.

True holders of the knowledge are scarce but the role was eventually given to Mere Walker - a respected kuia or elder from a neighbouring tribe - who employed a core group of 15 women, many of whom had little or no weaving experience.

The team has spent 15 years researching, planning and recreating the finely detailed panels, and the weavers have emerged as experienced exponents of the art form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eNxJ02_crI