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About us

Kohunui Marae was established on land made available as a Marae Reservation (gazette on 31 July 1952), for the common use of the members of the Ngāti Rākaiwhakairi tribe as a meeting house site. In 1954 the land was then re-gazetted as being set apart for the sub-tribes of the Ngāti Kahungunu tribe resident in the South Wairarapa District.

In the latter half of the 1950’s, a community hall was shifted on to the site and this substituted for a whare nui until 1990, when the building was re-dedicated as an actual wharenui, after having been renovated, and decorated with carvings and tukutuku panels. A kitchen, ablution area, and mattress room was added on to the building to achieve this. The Kokiri building situated to the side of and further back from the marae, had been built before the renovation of the wharenui, for workers to do their mahi e.g. tukutuku panels and kōwhaiwhai. The carvings were done by men incarcerated at Remutaka prison, under the tutelage of Jock McEwan, a master carver.

Since the establishment of the whare-tipuna, the marae has provided the meeting place for all hapu of South Wairarapa, for tangihanga, trustee meetings, marae- based studies with Te Wānanga o Raukawa, and other noho marae for not only whanau and hapū, but also others, who have been permitted the use of the marae by the Marae Trustees.

In 2011, the marae was the subject of a DIY, with the main building focus being on the kitchen, which was gutted, relined, with a new gas stove and electric oven, gas water heating, and a steriliser.

Tā Mātou Tirohanga - Our Vision

Kohunui marae will be a living and vibrant hub for the spiritual, cultural, economic, and political well-being of its people and whānau.

Tā Mātou Tirohanga - Our Mission

The following values underpin what we do and how we do it:

Kohunui is the spiritual and cultural base for ngā hapu o Kohunui Marae -, Ngāti Rākaiwhakairi, Ngāti Hinewaka, Ngai Tukoko, Ngāti Ngāpūoterangi, Ngāti Rākairangi, Ngāti Hinetauira, Ngāti Kahukuranui, Ngāti Rua, Ngāti Rongomaiaia, Ngāti Rangaranga, Ngāti Kahukuraawhitia, Ngāti Mamoe.

We will work to:

  • Reconnect with and sustain our people.

  • Create pride, and a sense of belonging.

  • Uplift our people spiritually, culturally, economically and politically in line with their aspirations.

  • Grow kaitiaki and future leaders and contribute to the growth and strength of Ngāti Kahungunutanga within the South Wairarapa rohe and beyond.

Ō Mātou Uara - Our Values

Whakapapa - the link to our history and to each other

  • We will help our people to reconnect to their iwi, hapū and marae

  • We will share our whakapapa and history so our people know who they are

Whakawhanaungatanga - our relationships with each other and others

  • Work collaboratively to achieve mutual benefits for all

  • Value whānau, hapū and iwi and the community

  • Value the positive contribution that others make to our marae

Tino Rangatiratanga – independence as hapū, whānau and individuals

  • Accept responsibility for our own destiny

  • Operate successfully without reliance on external support.

  • Support our people to become financially independent.

  • Uphold the mana of every hapū and individual whānau.

  • We will affirm our identity as Māori and our role as tangata whenua.

Whakapono - spiritual wellbeing

  • We respect the rights of individuals to hold their own beliefs and opinions

  • We value the place of faith in the tikanga of our marae.

Tikanga – cultural wellbeing

  • We value the place of tikanga on our marae

  • Tikanga Māori underpins our practices at Kohunui

  • We uphold te kawa o Ngāti Kahungunu on our marae.

Manaakitanga – caring for others

  • We recognise the link between mana and manaakitanga.

  • We will promote manaakitanga on our marae and the notion of aroha ki te tangata.

Te Reo Māori – our unique identifier, the centrepost of our culture

  • We respect our language, our reo ā-iwi

  • We acknowledge the importance of te reo Māori to our cultural identity, and success as a marae

  • We accept responsibility for ensuring thesurvival of our language for future generations

  • We support the use of te reo Māori and reo ā-iwi in all settings and at all times.

  • Te reo Māori is the basis for upholding kawa and tikanga.

Ahi kā – keeping the home fires burning

  • We recognise the importance of creating a living marae that is cared for all our people.

Mana – respect for individuals, for whānau, for hapū, for iwi

  • We respect the mana of each person, each whānau, each hapū within Kohunui.

  • We understand that the way we work with others, impacts on our own mana.

Our Trustees

Chair - Anne Firmin

Deputy Chair & Secretary - Lee Kuini Watene-Flutey

Tresurer - Memory Te Whaiti

Trustees - Violet Edwards, Natasha Robinson, Rhe Aporo, Kingi Tipoki

CONTACT

kohunuiwairarapa@gmail.com

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