Just like the grand old totara nearby, the bones of Napier’s Tangoio Marae wharenui remain strong, one year after it was left caked in silt by Cyclone Gabrielle.
And it was the handiwork of kaumatua Joe Taylor in the 1980s that helped that.
The talented builder and carver, known as ‘Uncle Joe’, made sure those steel braces would last.
“There are so many stories to tell. I give all the credit to the people lying in our urupa,” he said, looking toward the cemetery on the hill.
Things at Tangoio Marae might seem in a state of limbo one year after the cyclone, but nobody associated with the marae is acting like it.
Precious taonga - whakairo carvings and tukutuku panels - that once lined the walls are now in an industrial warehouse in Napier.
A dedicated crew of Tangoio whanau are working tirelessly to restore them to their former glory.
Overgrown foliage now lines the marae forecourt, and demolition on surrounding red stickered buildings, such as the kitchen, is set to begin soon.
In the background, a plan is forming for the future of this space.
There were emotional scenes in February last year, when tears of joy from the Treaty settlement signing of May 25, 2013, were replaced by tears of grief as Joe’s brother Bevan and claim lawyer Tania Hopmans blessed the wharenui.
“When I was in there on my own, I just broke down,” Joe said of that day.
He and the whanau haven’t lost hope for the marae and the sacred ground, knowing how important it is for the hapu and wider Hawke’s Bay community.
His shared dream is to turn the old wharenui into a carving school; a place where those of the next generation can learn the skills to carry on the traditions, the art, the culture.
Some of the land at Tangoio is classed as category three by councils, meaning it is unlikely people will ever be able to live there again, but Taylor said whanau were working with councils when it comes to sacred spaces such as the marae.
A sense of hope and strength is evident at the Pandora Rd warehouse.
Mould damage from the silt had infiltrated the crevices of the intricate panels and carvings, leading to the painstaking task of cleaning and restoring them to their former glory.
With help from past mentors, Te Papa and Ngāti Kahungunu, the progress has been incredible.
Pouhere tukutuku Thursday Puna is one of the leaders in the warehouse. Thursday is guiding her small team through the restoration process.
“There are so many ways to clean, it’s phenomenal.”
Thursday said it was “quite meticulous work” to get the panels ready again, however the journey of the kaimahi (workers) was beautiful and had given them a space to connect and reflect.
“You have to be a certain type of person to sit there and look at the board for hours on end.”
Joe, Bevan and Bevan’s son Koutu continue to help with the whakairo carvings.
Bevan Taylor’s daughter, Elaine Cook, is also part of the restoration team.
She lives on the hill at Tangoio, and said emotions were still raw for many; however, being in the warehouse was one of the many outlets for healing.
“We’re on a journey. Some of us are still emotional.
“It’ll be a long journey, but even though the mahi is tedious, I still enjoy what we do.”
Joe at the moment spends most of his days at the warehouse working to restore his carvings - each one with a unique story and labelled with a position in the wharenui - but the dormant site at Tangoio is never alone.
He recalls a time when he and a group of workers came to do some measurements.
The clouds had lined up over the urupa and started to stream downwards, as if the tears of the ancestors were flowing yet again - an acknowledgement of what they were going through and a blessing for the future.
“It was unbelievable. Our tipuna are here, and this is our place.”
Those in the warehouse with Uncle Joe want him credited as the man who kept hope alive for Tangoio, but he says he wants to thank hundreds of others who had helped keep the dream alive.
“We’ve been bloody shattered. But we are strong enough, and we’ll recover,” he said.
“It’s really all about the people. We couldn’t be doing it without all of them and their efforts.”
He knows he may not live to see the project through to its final stages, but his people will.
He aha te mea nui tea o? He tangata he tangata, he tangata!
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
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