New Wharekai build hits halfway mark with support from Trust Horizon

After 7 years in development, Omaio Marae’s brand-new Wharekai is now taking shape, thanks in part to a $280,000 grant from Trust Horizon.

Omaio Marae’s convenient beach-side location has made it one of the area’s most popular marae. With a conservative estimate of 24,000 visitors each year, the marae’s wharekai (dining hall and kitchen) had seen its fair share of wear and tear across the decades. 

Plans for a much-needed upgrade began as far back as 2015, with a number of smaller-scale local events raising funds for the project. However when a feasibility study revealed a new wharekai would cost in the millions, the need arose for alternative funding. 

Maxie Kemara put his hand up to explore fundraising options, and soon took on the role of Project Manager for the Omaio Marae Committee. 

“A friend had applied to Trust Horizon for a grant for his marae, so he put me in touch with the right people and everything unfolded from there,” says Kemara. “You wouldn’t usually say the funding application process is enjoyable, but with the Trust it actually was. When I got the phone call saying we’d got a $280,000 grant, it blew us out of the water.”

Trust Horizon trustee, Kevin Hennessy, met with Kemara during the application process. “Omaio Marae is an important community hub, and the wharekai is central to the huge range of gatherings that take place there,” says Hennessy. “The new build is an ambitious and worthwhile project, and one Trust Horizon is thrilled to support.” 

Constructed by locals in the late 1960s, the original wharekai had been a much-loved part of Omaio Marae’s history. “It was built from a huge native timber log they pulled out of the Motu River 55 years ago,” says Kemara. “Some of my uncles remember being 8 or 10 years old, sitting on top of the log lying on the ground. It was so big, my grandfather’s head didn’t even reach the top of it.” 

The initial plan was to retain the old dining hall and repurpose it into a sleeping area. However when inspections revealed the building was not up to modern-day codes, the difficult decision was made to demolish the old wharekai and construct a brand-new facility.

“Many of the generation behind us were very emotional and wanted to retain a piece of the wharekai’s history,” says Kemara. “The community all got together and demolished it ourselves, and 95% of the materials were taken home by various locals to build lean-tos, fences, all sorts of things.”

Now roughly six months into construction, the new building – roughly twice the size of its predecessor – is well underway. Over 200 pilings have been dug, the frames are up, and the rafters are going in. The electrical work, which Trust Horizon’s grant will go towards, is expected to begin in February. 

The Trust’s funds will also cover a sterilising dishwasher and two commercial ovens, which will prove invaluable in catering to the wharekai’s full capacity of 400-500 people. 

“We as the marae and hapu are extremely thankful to Trust Horizon,” says Kemara. “When we have our big opening next year, we’ll definitely be inviting the board to come and share our special day with us. It’ll be our small way of saying thank you, and an opportunity to show that this grant has been put to amazing use.”

Find out more about Trust Horizon community funding here.