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Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples has high hopes for a pilot project that will help marae become hubs for delivering services to the community.
Dr Sharples says his long association with Hoani Waititi Marae in west Auckland showed him how marae can be a hub for culture, education, employment training, health and other activities.
Manurewa Marae is evolving on a similar path, and he is looking for other marae to take up the opportunity.
"If we can put some assistance into marae and build up their community in a number of ways, they could become a powerful force for looking after our people coming out of this recession. We have selected five marae to trial but the whole idea is it can apply to any marae," Dr Sharples says.
The Government put aside 1.2 million in this year’s Budget for the development of Community Hubs and Marae CBD.
Copyright © 2013, UMA Broadcasting Ltd
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