Five year development plan for Maungarongo Marae

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 41, 3 April 1984, Page 6

Five year development plan for Maungarongo Marae

A model Maori village, depicting the pre-European history of the Waimarino, is planned as a focal point of a five-year development project at Maungarongo Marae, Burns Street, Ohakune. The Mareikura families of

Ngati Rangi made the marae available when a public meeting in July 1 983 decided to establish a Kokiri Centre. The Maungarongo Kokiri Centre is to become the focus of a community project for the learning and

displaying of Maori Arts, Crafts, Music and Language. Maungarongo has long been an established community centre, where any interested participants, Maori and Pakeha, have always been welcomed onto the marae to join the activities organised by these multi-talented families. Whanaka Rangataua Karate, a martial art using the Maori language, and the Polynesian Dance Troupe — both of which are run by Charles Mareikura — the Easter Hui Culture Group and Te Kohanga Reo, a Maori language child care centre organised by Mrs Biddy Mareikura and Mrs Joan Akapita already attract other locals. With a Kokiri Centre, the family now hope to cast a wider net into the community by maintaining continuous employment and skills courses for the unemployed and by providing a venue where everyone is welcome to learn traditional and modern arts and crafts. It is envisaged that the building of the model village could take up to five years and will be constructed mainly by P.E.P. and Work Skills schemes. At the completion of this project it is expected that the Marae will become a self-sufficient tourist attraction for visitors to Ohakune. This will provide viable employment opportunities for many young Maori people. An outlet for the displaying of genuine, high quality Maori arts and crafts will be established in a setting where visitors can absorb the Maori values and history of the area and of the Mountain. The potential of such a centre is unlimited,

and the many talents of this family can be fully utilised, as it extends into the fields of catering and entertaining. At present a P.E.P. scheme under the supervision of Richard Akapita is starting the first stage of construction, with the erection of ponga fences. A S.T.E.P.S. programme has just completed a six-week course for 15-year old and 16-year old school leavers. This programme was run through the Wanganui Community College and was tutored by Noel Akapita. The Kokiri Committee, Chairman, Matiu Mareikura, and Secretary Treasurer, Judy Doyle, have successfully applied to the Department of Labour to administer their own S.T.E.P.S. programmes in future. The next course will run for 12 weeks and the Management Committee have made moves to have further courses extended to 18 weeks, as they feel strongly that little of lasting value can be achieved for these young people through six or 1 2 week programmes. S.T.E.P.S. stands for School Leaver Training for Employment Programme and is designed to develop skills and personal qualities in 15 to 16 year olds which will enable them to be competitive in the workforce.

The Maungarongo Kokiri S.T.E.P.S. programme will specifically train these young people in the skills needed for job opportunities in the Ohakune area, and will assist them in obtaining these jobs. The programme is funded by the Department of Labour and the trainees are not paid, but do receive a small training allowance for attending. Rapu Mahi, a programme funded by the Department of Maori Affairs, is also to commerice shortly. Participants will be recruited from the unemployed of the entire Waimarino, and can be of any age. This is a one week intensive course looking at the job opportunities of the district. Most of the funding will be used to cover travel. Maungarongo Kokiri Centre is the first to be established in the Wanganui District just as Te Kohanga Reo, started at the Marae . February 1983, was also first for Wanganui. Both these ventures have been undertaken by the Maungarongo Marae people, to benefit the young people of Ohakune. The vision and eventual development of the Centre will provide local youth with a means of participating in the tourist development of this town instead of being alienated by it.