Marae Toolkit Project

Marae Toolkit Review

In April 2009 Kemi Riritahi and Crete Wana were employed to be resources to the Marae Toolkit Project, the project had been running for almost 18 months at the time. They were charged with a few objectives, they were to:

Increase engagement with hapu/iwi through a communication strategy;
Identify hapū development aspirations and objectives; and
Recommend ongoing projects for ngā hapū o Ngāti Awa and/or possible strategies for the Rūnanga.

Marae Strategic plans

16 marae strategic plans completed, six hapu chose not to participate in the project. These 5 year plans are tailor made for each hapū and are the cornerstone for future pathways.

Environmental (Facilities) Assessments

14 environmental assessments are completed, two marae did not complete an assessment, one marae chose not to participate and five hapū have no marae facilities, therefore assessments were not required. These assessments enable the hapū to make priority decisions about their land and buildings.

E nohi/Website development

13 marae have participated in e-nohi training/website development, these websites have been developed for those marae who have participated in the strategic planning phase of the project. Marae who have participated in Phase 1 and 2 of the project have been provided refresher e-nohi training sessions through the first six months of 2010. The hapū websites are an effective way for ngā hapū to communicate to whanau living outside of the rohe but also for ngā hapū to administer and upload their own content onto their website.

Marae Insurance Valuations

17 marae insurance valuations are completed, four hapu have no marae facilities therefore valuations are not required and one marae did not participate.
An insurance broker provided evaluators to assess each marae; this gave Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa an opportunity to look at individual and group insurance rates.

The Marae Toolkit project officially ended April 9, 2010. All marae that had not participated in the project were advised of the project end date on March 1, 2010.

In retrospect it seems that the Marae Toolkit has met its objectives, there has been an increase in engagement though communications, whether through marae visits, radio, hui, phone call, panui, email or kanohi ki te kanohi.

As previously stated through the marae strategic plans, some clear hapu development aspirations and objectives were identified. As a general view, ngā hapū o Ngāti Awa identified upgrading their land and facilities, developing people through governance and management, seeking funds or fundraising for marae development and succession planning of their people as priorities for the marae/hapū over the next five years.

There have been ongoing projects recommended to Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa from the Marae Toolkit project. The digital archive project, marae fire safety project, marae training/workshops and a marae infrastructure project. These initiatives along with other ideas and innovations are being put into place through marae/hapu participation, commitment to a plan and the support of the runanga.

Marae Toolkit 2009

The purpose of the Ngāti Awa Marae Toolkit (MTK) is to provide ngā hapū o Ngāti Awa and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa with long term strategies for sustainable development. The MTK will provide baseline information for ongoing analysis from which TRoNA initiatives can be developed and implemented, and hapū can develop their own projects. The Marae Toolkit Project has duration of approximately 2 years (December 2007 – December 2009) and will provide a Ngāti Awa context for development not only in co-production but inclusive of the wider objectives for Ngāti Awa.

The Marae Toolkit Project’s overall objective is to provide a basis for sustainable development for ngā hapū o Ngāti Awa. The proposed activities and engagements will provide strategic direction and plans for ngā hapū o Ngāti Awa and a central database of information for the Rūnanga and Development Ngāti Awa. This will also contribute to the overall development of Ngāti Awa hapū.

The objectives of the Marae Toolkit Project are to:
Increase engagement with hapū/iwi through a communication strategy; Identify hapū development aspirations and objectives; and Recommend ongoing projects for ngā hapū o Ngāti Awa and/or possible strategies for the Rūnanga.

Components Delivered by

Graphic Design – Laine Heitia, Te Pua DesignEnvironmental Assessment – Shane Moore
E Nohi Website Development & Training – Hurricane Hunia, Kotuku Systems
Insurance Valuations/Assessments – Tuwhakairiora Williams, Waka Teretere
Strategic Planning – Crete Wana, Pou Takawaenga