Call to open marae

Tu Tangata, Issue 13, 1 August 1983, Page 34

Call to open marae

A call for marae to be opened to provide emergency housing for homeless families has been applauded by Waikato-Maniapoto District * Maori Council delegate Eva Rickard.

Mrs Rickard said marae were living places and should be used to house Maori people either homeless or forced to live in cars, tents, and caravans.

The call came from Manukau City Council employment officer Mr B. McLean, an Auckland Maori leader who said marae were lying idle while families suffered needlessly.

Mrs Rickard said the WaikatoManiapoto District Maori Council would support the call but Government funding would be needed to make marae “liveable”.

“Rural marae have tried to survive and have been built on the backs of the Maori people with no Government funding,” she said.

“We will need that funding to make them liveable.”

She said rural marae would be the saviour of the Maori people.

“Marae are going to play an important part in the rehabilitation, housing, and employment of our people,” she said.

“Marae used to be living complexes a long time ago. If there’s a return to that sort of life I think it may well be the

beginning of an era again for us.”

Marae today were not being used enough and had become places for the Maori to weep, gather, and bury their dead.

They had “stood lonely” because many Maori people had migrated from rural areas to cities and returned only on special occasions.

“But I would say marae are the base of survival for our Maori people in the future because that is where pride and mana is taught, and it’s not going to be taught in the cities.”

She said a man made homeless by bankruptcy had been housed at Raglan’s marae for a year until he had been able to afford his own home.

But if families were to be accommodated at rural marae jobs would have to be found or created for them.

Waahi marae spokesman Timi Maipi said Maori people were obligated to try to alleviate the housing shortage problem.

But Government funding would be necessary for maraes to be able to house people and jobs would have to be found because the homeless would have to move to rural areas, where most marae were.

Marae were not being used enough but the return of people would “bring them back to life”, he said.