Matua, Tama, Wairua Tapu me ngā Ānahera Pono, ko te Mangai e tautoko mai, āe.
Raetihi’s Whare Whakamoemiti restoration project has reached a momentous milestone with the finalisation of building consent documents.
Lead by Āpotoro rēhita koro Robbie Williams, over the last five years te Pariha o Raetihi (the parish) has been working with Auckland architects Christina van Bohemen and Aaron Sills, heritage architect Graeme Burgess and structural engineers to ensure the temepara will stand for another Century.
“As I stand inside the bell tower ringing the bell for whakamoemiti I wonder why it hasn't fallen.
“It's because we, the mōrehu, have our whakamoemiti here, it's our power of prayer and our Rātana faith that is keeping this whare standing.
“Sadly as we can all see from its current condition our iconic building needs a lot of aroha.”
With a predicted renovation cost of $1-million focus for the project is moving to raising the pūtea (funds) needed.
Ready for the next milestone challenge in the project, Mr Williams said the renovation will begin as soon as it is financially possible.
“While we are celebrating this milestone and all the whānau who have been supporting us along this journey now, some of the hardest mahi starts in finding the pūtea.
“The Whare Whakamoemiti is such an important whare and we acknowledge that this is not only to us as mōrehu, our Raetihi whānau and wider Aotearoa community.”
Māori architectural expert Professor Deidre Brown is one of many who is also hoping the pūtea can be found and, quickly.
“The Whare Whakamoemiti is at a critical turning point in its life.
“If action is not taken now to repair the building it will not be possible to save it.
“Its loss will mark the closing of an important chapter in central North island Māori architecture”
Āpotoro rēhita koro Robbie Williams, Raetihi whānau and the team from Sills van Bohemen Architects in Auckland review the Whare Whakamoemiti temepara restoration project building consent documents at the temepara over the weekend.
Photo: Liz Brooker
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