On Saturday, June 17 1967 Dannevirke was visited by an illustrious trio of then Prime Minister and local Pahiatua MP the Rt Hon. Keith Holyoake, Archbishop Peter McKeefry, head of the Catholic Church in NZ and the Māori Queen Te Atairangikaahu. The occasion - the blessing and opening of the wharenui Aotea Tuatoru at Mākirikiri Marae.
As an 11-year-old boy attending the opening, I was unaware of who these famous New Zealanders were. But I’d never seen so many buses and cars at the marae. They were parked in the empty paddocks in front of the marae stretching all the way to the main highway. Two and half thousand people attended the ceremony, I’d never seen anything like it, and more than 50 years later don’t recall many other events of that size here in Dannevirke.
My Dad was part of the local Ngāti Mutuahi and Ngāti Pakapaka hapū and their close relatives from other Rangitāne hapū were on site planning and working for weeks leading up to this day. Dad’s job on the day was one of the many ringawera responsible for feeding the manuhiri. There wasn’t just one hangi but half a dozen needed to feed the guests that day, a lot of people would have been needed just to peel the spuds.
I didn’t attend the pre-dawn ceremony for the lifting of the tapu. However, the Māori Queen accompanied by her Waikato iwi and kaumātua honoured our iwi by attending. This was one of the first roles she undertook after her succession on the death of her father King Koroki. It is one of the memories I associate with Mākirikiri marae, our connection with the Kingitanga.
Us kids had watched, from a distance the new whare being erected, so there was great excitement when the day finally arrived. After completing a few chores on the farm Mum took us to the official opening around mid-morning. As we made our way towards the new where, on our left was a large marquee, behind that the wharekai, Te Kurairirangi, which had been transported from Tahoraiti to Mākirikiri and further behind were numerous hangi to feed the multitude. Right in the middle was the new whare Aotea Tuatoru, looking spectacular. On the right was the main entrance, with a painted archway over the entrance flanked by two raised platforms on which stood two warriors dressed in traditional costume and I thought, “Gee, they must be cold!”