Our Marae

The "Kahungunu Memorial Wharewhakairo" was built as a monument to the men from the Nuhaka-Mahia district who served their country in the two major World Wars and succeeding wars.

Originally, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) discussed with local Church leader, Sidney Whaanga Christy, the plan to erect a recreation hall to be named for respected early Mãori Church convert, Hirini Te Rito Whaanga, son of lhaka Whaanga a Paramount chief of Rakaipaaka.

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The hall would be an acknowledgement of the district church members and friends who had sponsored the Annual Easter Church Conference over the five war years "Ngã Tau e Rima" However, due to government building restrictions after the Second World War, close friend of Sid Christy, the National Mãori M.P. Sir AT Ngata proposed building a Mãori Carved House as a war memorial. Returning servicemen of Rakaipaaka/Kahungunu would train in the art of carving and have employment. This was agreed to and Master Carvers Pine and John Taiapa who had established the Mãori Carving School in Rotorua, were employed to teach the tikanga and skills of the kaiwhakairo.

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As a Whare Tipuna, which would house many Aotearoa chiefs of renown, it was fitting that the building be named for the great chief Kahungunu from whom the name of the major tribe of the area from Uawa to the Wairarapa is derived. The Mormon Church paid all expenses, building materials, tutors, carpenters, carvers, and other employees.

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An interesting story arises due to the strong anti-American, anti-Mormon sentiments which followed the war years. The Totara which would be used for all the carvings was donated by members of the Davies family in Pipiwai, North Auckland. The family had a large stand of totara on their farm. To ship the timber out for processing in Auckland, they would have to cross a County Council bridge in the area. As mentioned the anti-American, anti-Mormon sentiment was very strong in the area and some influential people sent a submission to the local Council to have the bridge condemned so the timber could not leave the area. A sympathiser on the Council advised the Davies family that they would have to move quickly if they wanted to get the timber away. They did, the brothers worked, cutting the timber and transporting it out of the area while the sisters of the family took care of all the farm work. When the bridge was finally closed for 'repairs' the timber was already being treated in Auckland and shortly after that shipped down here to Nuhaka.

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Almost forty years after the building had been erected, one of the sisters who had been attending a Māori Women's Welfare League conference in Gisborne visited the marae and wept as she greeted her old friends, now the stately, carved poupou 'ngā tipuna rongonui i roto i te whare'.

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Prime Minister Peter Fraser opened Kahungunu War Memorial Meeting House at Nūhaka on 27 August 1949. The meeting house was built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (‘Mormon Church’), with support from local Māori land trusts. It was dedicated to Ngāti Kahungunu servicemen who had died during both world wars. The carvings were by Pine and John Taiapa.

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In 1960 the church proposed transferring the building to Hawaii to form part of a village showcasing Pacific cultures but, after some controversy, it was gifted to the Community of Nuhaka by the church in the late 1970s and continues to serve the people.

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Many community events have taken place in this beautifully carved hall, Church services, ANZAC services, weddings, funerals, Gold & Green Balls, birthdays, school concerts, performing arts courses, Tikanga Maori Wananga, etc. It was gifted to the Community of Nuhaka by the church in the late 1970s and continues to serve the people.