Fundraising to save the iconic Rātana Whare Whakamoemiti in Raetihi continues under urgency following the closure of the over 100-year-old building for the safety of all whānau.
The decision to close off the temple has been a very hard one for Āpotoro Rēhita Robbie Williams to make.
“Because of the continued deterioration of our iconic building and the now extremely unstable condition of the bell tower it is with great sadness that on Friday we came up to erect a barrier fence. It is not that we are trying to keep people out of the temple, it’s about ensuring the safety of everybody while our iconic building continues to degrade. We have also put up some hazard signs up and ask whānau to please respect these notices,” Āpotoro Rēhita Robbie Williams said.
Following five years of planning the project is spade ready, the renovation can only begin once funds have been raised.
“While we continue our renovation fundraising efforts, we ask all whānau to please respect the temporary closure of Taku Whare Tuatahi in an effort to keep everyone safe. To date we have raised $63,141 in cash and gratefully accepted $193,922 koha for professional services and the mahi provided to us by a number of expert consultants. To qualify for Crown partnership funding our community needs to raise at least one third of the project total, currently we need $201,000 more to reach this first target.”
Find more information about our renovation project here on our website or via our Facebook and Instagram pages. Keen to tautako? we also have a Givealittle page: givealittle.co.nz/cause/teparihaoraetihi.

Comments