Te Mahurehure Marae: Celebrating Māori heritage with dynamic design

Te Mahurehure Marae in Auckland.

• Te Mahurehure Marae in Pt Chevalier, Auckland evolved from a tin shed to a significant cultural complex.
• The Taumata o Kupe building unites diverse groups through shared values and cultural pride.
• The design incorporates Māori oral traditions, celebrating Kupe’s journey and featuring educational initiatives.

Te Mahurehure Marae in the inner city Auckland suburb of Pt Chevalier has come from humble beginnings and today is a monument to the blending of Māori and non-Māori whakapapa.

What began in 1969 as a humble tin shed with sawdust floors, formerly a rugby club, has evolved into an awe-inspiring marae complex that stands as a symbol of heritage and community.

The marae’s entrance even features 6000-year-old Kauri wood sourced from northern swamps, thanks to marae stalwart Christine Panapa’s effort to secure it from a relative.

For Nicholas Dalton of TOA Architects, the Te Mahurehure Marae is a landmark project, deeply meaningful both culturally and architecturally.

Te Mahurehure Marae in Auckland

“This is a landmark project for us, first and foremost I think because of the mana not only the ingoa of one of the greatest ancestors but also the discovery of Aotearoa.”

At the heart of the marae is Taumata o Kupe, a building that unites a diverse range of people and groups – from businesses to whānau – around shared values and cultural pride. As Dalton notes: “To honour that tipuna was just the highest level that we can aspire to.”

The project developed organically, with the Māori clients emphasising outcomes over prescribed designs.

“They wanted a tourism offering, but they wanted a Mātauranga, they wanted learning, and we just started to shape up those things,” explains Dalton.

The design process was a dynamic collaboration, evolving to reflect both the spiritual and educational needs of the community.

Dalton’s vision for the marae was not just about creating a static structure, but one that conveyed movement and life.

“I sketched the form, because I wanted it to be dynamic, even though it’s sitting there static I wanted it to feel like it was moving,” Dalton says.

Nicholas Dalton

The large glass panels on the building’s facade give the illusion of movement, as reflections of the sky shift across the surface, creating the effect of racing waves.

“When the reflections of the sky move past, it looks like it’s actually racing.”

The architectural design draws heavily on Māori oral traditions and celestial navigation, symbolising the journey of the great ancestor Kupe, who first arrived in Aotearoa. Architect Matekitātahi Rāwiri worked closely with elders to weave oral histories into the building’s artwork.

“The essence of those oral histories go back to the time of Kupe,” Rāwiri explains. His contributions helped bring to life the ancestral stories, which are embedded into the building’s facade and design. The flowing, organic shape of the building echoes the movement of Kupe’s waka as it navigated the Pacific Ocean towards Aotearoa,“ he said.

Dalton reflects on the legacy of the project, which includes an educational component centred on celestial navigation.

“Sixty school kids are going to go through that facility every day and learn about celestial navigation from one of the only tohunga, one of five that can still teach it.”

This educational initiative will continue through the use of technology, with the tohunga being “hologrammed” to teach the ancient art forever.

For Dalton, Taumata o Kupe is not just a building, it’s a legacy project that celebrates both Māori heritage and the enduring spirit of Kupe.

“Taumata o Kupe for me is a legacy project, not just for TOA but for Aotearoa, where we are celebrating a Māori hero, who came from Hawaiki to Aotearoa and came back three or four times.”

The Te Mahurehure Marae and its Taumata o Kupe building are a testament to the power of architecture to honour culture, history, and community.

Through the innovative design and integration of Māori oral traditions, this landmark project is a living celebration of Aotearoa’s ancestral past and future.