Matua Tama Wairua Tapu me ngā Anahera Pono me te Māngai ae

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Te Pāriha o Raetihi with the support of our Ruapehu community, Sills van Bohemen Architects, Burgess Treep & Knight Architects, Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga & other leading experts have begun the urgent journey to restore our iconic 100-year-old Rātana whare whakamoemiti. ‘Taku Whare Tuatahi’ (my first house) was the name gifted to our temple by Rātana himself when he opened the temple in 1926.

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“The whare whakamoemiti is at a critical turning point in its life. If action is not taken now to repair the building it will not be possible to save it. Its loss will mark the closing of an important chapter in central North island Māori architecture” 

Dr Deidre Brown, Professor of Architecture - University of Auckland / Waipapa Taumata Rau

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Our whare whakamoemiti gives us a place to go, a structure that brings people together regardless of culture, race or religion - a place where successive generations of Waimarino whānau belong.

 

Join us on our journey as we work to raise the $1-million needed to rebuild this outstanding historical, cultural, Māori architectural icon not just for today but, so it can continue to stand tall as a beacon of support for the Raetihi community over the next 100 years.

 

"I stand inside the bell tower ringing the bell for whakamoemiti. I wonder why it hasn't fallen. It's because we, the mōrehu, have our whakamoemiti here. It's our power of prayer and our Rātana faith that is keeping this whare standing"

Āpotoro Rēhita Robert Williams