Marie Panapa passionately believed in a facility which could teach youngsters
Marie Panapa, or "Aunty Ma" as everyone knows her, looks over Otawhao marae with a warm smile and an obvious sense of pride.
The marae, which yesterday celebrated its 25th birthday, taught youngsters carving and weaving before it became Te Wananga o Aotearoa - one of New Zealand's largest tertiary education providers.
Built at Te Awamutu College in April, 1985, the marae was the second at a public school in New Zealand.
It was the idea of Rongo Wetere, who despaired at seeing so many young Maori expelled from school with little hope or prospects.
But, as Ms Panapa recalls, it was a hard road getting there.
"People were against the idea of a marae, even some of the Maori in our town. We were at a meeting where people tried to shout us down, saying we were racist and having a marae at the school was no good ... it was quite a hostile time," she said.
"The community wasn't supportive of the idea but we believed in the vision and the good that could benefit the whole community, not just a sector."
With no money available to build the marae, Mrs Panapa - who had four children including a baby at the time - was among those who risked it all, taking on a second mortgage with a 27.5 per cent interest rate.
"It was tough but I was passionate then as I am today, in fact I am more passionate about this today. You just had to have faith that things would get done and clearly they have."
Eventually Mr Wetere, the organisation's first chief executive who now lives in Canada, gained the school's backing.
The group also won over the local community, which began donating materials before sponsorship was found for the project.
While this was happening Mrs Panapa, who is the only original member of the group still employed by Te Wananga o Aotearoa, as its cultural adviser, would go to sports fields with Mr Wetere at weekends, give oranges to the kids and invite them to learn under master carver Dr Paki Harrison and his wife Hinemoa.
In time, the Otawhao marae project grew becoming the Waipa Kokiri Arts Centre and then Te Wananga o Aotearoa in 1993.
"I think that in the end we showed that we could bring to the community a facility that our people can be proud of," said Mrs Panapa.
More than 250,000 students have completed courses from certificate to degree level with the wananga, which has an equal number of Maori and non-Maori students enrolled on its campuses.
