Waipapa Marae

The symbolic conception of Tānenuiārangi the meeting-house on Waipapa Marae, was formulated by the tohunga whakairo (master carver) Pākāriki Harrison. The primary ancestors of the house are the ancestor-gods, with whom students of all tribes can identify. Around the walls are the captains and priest-navigators of the canoes that brought the ancestors of the different tribes to New Zealand. Also included in the house is Tangi'ia, an ancestor who connects the major islands of the Pacific with New Zealand. Thus, the house is pan-Pacific as well as pan-tribal.

The marae on which Tānenuiārangi stands is named after Waipapa, the landing place of canoes on what is now Beach Road opposite the Railway station. The name acknowledges Ngāti Whātua ki Orākei as the tangata whenua (people of the land) of Waitematā.

The marae is a taonga (treasure) and like all taonga deserves respectful behaviour, including practical care and upkeep of its grounds.

(Source: Faculty of Arts, The University of Auckland).