The beloved Ngā Tai Tokorua community whare was once a centre for cultural events and teaching. It was demolished last week.
The beloved Ngā Tai Tokorua community whare was once a centre for cultural events and teaching. It was demolished last week.
Though the beloved Ngā Tai Tokorua community whare in Taipā is no more, its legacy will live on through carved pou that will be created by local carvers from salvaged pillars following the building’s demolition last week.
The building was torn down after being deemed unsafe.
Ministry of Education head of property Sam Fowler said the building was funded by the school board and ministry.
“The whare was built in 2003 as a multicultural community centre. The building was 57% funded and owned by the school board and 43% funded and owned by the Ministry of Education. Community funding supported the board’s ownership.”
Fowler said the demolition was a school-led project funded by the ministry after a 2014 weathertightness report that identified failures throughout the building, leading to its closure.
He said the school and the ministry would now work through the future needs of the school to determine use of the land.
Stephen Tansey, presiding member of the Taipā School Board, said the building was condemned in 2013 because of various issues including mould in the walls and detailing problems.
Stephen Tansey, presiding member of the Taipā School Board.
“It was mostly used by the school for classes and cultural events. It was used for things like weddings and even a few 21sts were held there.”
He said the decision to rush the demolition was because parts of the roof were starting to fall off.
“With the high winds we had in November, bits of the tiles on the roof were raining down on the kindy next door, which had to close for three days. Because of that danger, the Ministry of Education realised they needed to push the demolition forward.”
Demolition work on the Ngā Tai Tokorua community whare last week.
“The hope always was that something would be done to restore it. While the school was not in a position to do that, two local groups attempted that. Both groups had a good go at it, but it faded away in 2022.”
Tansey said they would be guided by the community and local iwi to determine the best use for the land, but they planned to use pillars from the rubble to remember the building.
“There was a lot of use that had heavy hearts because of it being knocked down, but the building was unsafe. Windows were falling out and it would not have been safe to use.”
“We managed to rescue the pillars and will get local carvers to produce pou that will start outside the school, to honour the memory of the whare. It was a beautiful building.”
Tansey, like many other community members, has fond memories of the building and many were sad to see it reduced to a pile of rubble.
The site where the Ngā Tai Tokorua community whare once stood, after the building was demolished last week.
“One of my first memories of it was when I started working at the school in 2005, there was a tangi held there for Whaea Patsy Shaw, who was an important teacher at the school.”
Tansey said the building was built by parents, teachers, students and local builders who were part of the school community at the time.
Taipā resident Lah George said the building was designed by a boy in her year.
“The task was set for our year, to design a structure that would suit that corner. I remember when it was drawn to when it was actually built. He was young and not even of Māori ethnicity; he done an amazing job.”
Another resident, who preferred not to be named, said as a concept the whare was a brilliant idea.
“We all loved it at the beginning. But it was poorly constructed. Things were built on the cheap with some parts [arches] constructed in the woodwork room. The internal acoustics were phenomenally poor. It was very hard for students to hear and concentrate.”
