Tà «rangawaewae () is a marae and a royal residence in NgÃÂruawÃÂhia, Waikato, New Zealand. It is the official residence of the MÃÂori monarch and the administrative headquarters of the Këngitanga movement. Of its numerous buildings, the two principal ones are the MÃÂhinÃÂrangi meeting house, and Tà «rongo House, which is official residence of the queen or king.
MÃÂhinÃÂrangi and Tà «rongo are made of wood and are covered in complex MÃÂori carvings (whakairo), painted burgundy and cream. Over the years, it has undergone renovations, in harmony with the original style, which represents a unique synthesis of classical MÃÂori and Edwardian architecture. For its 2012 renovations, Tà «rangawaewae was awarded the New Zealand Institute of Architects' Waikato-Bay of Plenty Regional Award in the Heritage Category.
NgÃÂti Tamaoho hapà « under the leadership of Princess Te Puea HÃÂrangi began by clearing swampy land overgrown with scrub and blackberry vines, including an area that had been used recently as a rubbish dump in August 1921. The name Tà «rangawaewae means a place to stand.
The marae's buildings include the carved MÃÂhinÃÂrangi meeting house, built in 1929, and next to it, Tà «rongo House, the MÃÂori King or Queen's official residence, built in 1938. The two houses are named after MÃÂhinÃÂrangi, an East Coast "princess", and her husband Tà «rongo, a Tainui chief. The link this marriage formed between the two tribal regions was highlighted by Sir ÃÂpirana Ngata when Te Puea was debating a name for the house. Ngata and his tribe, NgÃÂti Porou, had contributed thousands of pounds in funding by supporting performances by Te Puea's concert party when it travelled the East Coast region. In addition he sent expert carvers and weavers to assist with the construction of the building. To commemorate this he asked that the meeting house be named after the East Coast ancestress to salute the ancient link and the modern day koha (gift) NgÃÂti Porou had provided.
The death and suffering of local MÃÂori caused by the 1918 flu pandemic still remained fresh in the memory of Tà «rangawaewae residents and Te Puea's original vision for MÃÂhinÃÂrangi was to be a hospital for the MÃÂori community so they could receive treatment in a traditional manner. However the Ministry of Health would not grant the necessary permits for it to be used this way. Thus the building was made into a reception hall of sorts and has hosted many foreign dignitaries. A visiting New Zealand prime minister commented at the conclusion of a visit with King Korokë that the house was a fine sitting room for a king. This comment gave Te Puea an idea: what use is a sitting room if there is no house to entertain visiting guests properly?
Thus Tà «rongo house was born. This exquisitely carved home was the brainchild of Te Puea. Having noticed a home in Hamilton with a hexagonal tower in the corner she came up with a blueprint that incorporated both MÃÂori and European architectural styles. The house's interior and exterior surfaces have been carved extensively and have incorporated many symbols important to the Këngitanga movement. A seven-sided tower in the corner represents the seven initial waka that, according to tradition, brought the MÃÂori people to their new home of Aotearoa. It also has some unique features such as untreated ponga log cladding on the exterior walls. There are also two pÃÂtaka (store houses) acting as dormer windows on the roof and storing important taonga (treasures) of the Këngitanga. Each one represents the MÃÂori and PÃÂkehàinfluence on the local people. The modern day house contains magnificent reception rooms, dining rooms and kitchens that are suitable for the Arikinui to host guests in a distinctly MÃÂori fashion.
Some of Te Puea's main goals for the movement were to increase the mana or prestige of the Këngitanga and its figurehead the Arikinui by:
Tà «rangawaewae, along with the Këngitanga movement and the office of the Arikinui, has become a key institution to showcase MÃÂoridom not only in New Zealand but the world. World leaders including Nelson Mandela, Queen Elizabeth II and many of her children have paid courtesy visits to the MÃÂori monarch and the people of the Këngitanga.
Under the leadership of Te Puea strong relationships had been established with the Polynesian royal families of the Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga. As a result, during the annual Koroneihana (coronation) festivities, representatives of the Polynesian royal houses including Queen Salote of Tonga and many of her descendants have made many visits and gifted highly prized taonga to the Arikinui, which are now housed in the dual pÃÂtaka of Tà «rongo.
Tà «rangawaewae Marae and its unique buildings are a physical representation of the determination of the Këngitanga to not only survive the last 200 years of turmoil, but to prosper and flourish under the leadership of leaders like Te Puea and Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.
In 2012, architects Salmon Reid designed and oversaw a renovation of MÃÂhinÃÂrangi and Tà «rongo. The project included a kitchen upgrade and the addition of new food preparation and taonga storage buildings. Exterior cladding of ponga trunks and weatherboards was removed temporarily for structural strengthening. Modern utilities, such as a sprinkler system, were retrofitted while keeping changes in harmony with the heritage values of the buildings. The project was awarded the New Zealand Institute of Architects' Waikato-Bay of Plenty Regional Award in the Heritage Category. In October 2020, the Government committed $370,730 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae, creating 30 jobs.