November 11, 2019
Te Mahurehure Marae turns 50
One of Auckland’s busiest urban marae has celebrated its 50th birthday.
Te Māhurehure Cultural Marae and Conference Centre in Point Chevalier was established in 1969 as focal point in the city for whānau with links to Hokianga, but it’s kaupapa has always been inclusive of people from all places.
Christine Panapa, who has chaired the marae for the past 20 years, told the several hundred people who turned out for Saturday’s celebration, that it cost $29,000 to buy the property, a rugby league club’s dirt-floored practice shed built on an old tip.
That was a lot of money for the society members, but the two mortgages were paid off in four years with lots of fundraising, including her mother selling batches of golden brown cream puffs every week in Panmure.
Prime Minister and local MP Jacinda Ardern says in representing Aotearoa New Zealand on the international stage, she thinks about simple spaces like marae which bring together the land and the people.
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