Te Ahurea kaitiaki Kipa Munro is heartened by community support since the new whare waka at Kerikeri Basin was ‘‘used and abused’’ for a Friday night drinking session. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Te Ahurea kaitiaki Kipa Munro is heartened by community support since the new whare waka at Kerikeri Basin was ‘‘used and abused’’ for a Friday night drinking session. Photo / Peter de Graaf
A newly built waka shelter at Kerikeri Basin has been ''used and abused'' by people who drove their vehicles inside and used it for a night-time drinking session.
Despite the mess left behind last week Friday, the hapū behind the whare waka is reluctant to build a fence around it, saying that would limit public access and enjoyment.
The whare waka, next to Kerikeri River opposite the Stone Store, is part of the redevelopment of what used to be Rewa's Village, a replica Māori settlement.
Now called Te Ahurea and owned by local hapū Ngāti Rēhia, the ''living cultural centre'' was officially opened in February.
The whare waka will house a ceremonial canoe which is being carved by James Eruera, who learnt from the tohunga waka Sir Hekenukumai Busby.
The party-goers left tyre tracks, oil stains and bottles in the new waka shelter. Photo / Supplied
Te Ahurea kaitiaki (guardian) Kipa Munro said he was carrying out his regular checks on Saturday morning when he discovered party-goers had ''used and abused'' the shelter.
Rocks blocking vehicle access had been removed and cars had been parked on the grass and inside the whare, leaving tyre tracks, mud and oil stains on the new concrete.
Cars had also dug up the lawn and revellers had left behind empty bottles.
The whare had since been cleaned up and Munro had been heartened by community support after he shared photos of the mess on social media.
People had used the end of Landing Rd to gather and drink for years — he often had to clean up on Saturday mornings — so he knew it was a possibility.
Munro hoped people who ''just don't get it'' would respect the whare once the waka was placed inside and carvings were added.
''It's a small part of our community. I'm hoping that, once it's complete, they will understand what we are trying to do and realise it's not the place to do these kinds of things,'' he said.
Oil stains mark the floor of the new waka shelter. Photo / Supplied
''Of course I'm disappointed. We've put a lot of effort into turning this into an iconic piece of Kerikeri and bringing our culture back to Kerikeri Basin. For many years one side of the story wasn't told as much as the other. That was the catalyst for what we are doing.''
Munro was reluctant to fence off the whare because the aim was to make it welcoming and accessible to everyone.
The intention was to finish carving the waka in the shelter so people could see the progress and feel pride in the project.
A fence could also spoil the view as people came down Landing Rd.
Instead, he was considering landscaping around the whare to discourage vehicle access while still being ''pleasing to the eye''. It was likely CCTV would need to be installed.
Munro said the hapū also had a duty to taxpayers to protect the whare waka, which — along with the revamp of the former Rewa's Village — was paid for by a Provincial Growth Fund grant.
