Toro mai ki te Marae

Visit the marae

Find out about requesting bookings for one-off classes, hui, wānanga, conferences, noho marae, and marae tours.

Tāpui—Bookings

The marae offers a range of functions and is used for a variety of hui. Like most marae, interactions and bookings at Te Herenga Waka Marae are based on relationships, kaupapa, and the willingness and capability for guests to operate under tikanga Māori. Therefore, there is priority on protecting and nurturing the authenticity of marae spaces and less emphasis on transactional arrangements such as direct hire.

As a community we are working through how to stay authentically true to our values, be recognised by our principles, realise our Living Building™ and living lightly aspirations and be an educational facility for our students and staff, whilst being open for public groups coming into the marae spaces.

We encourage people who want to book spaces at the marae not to see them as just another space. Similarly, if you book a public tour, you will not be shown around just another building. It is everybody’s responsibility to uphold the values, kawa, and tikanga of our marae.

Nō reira, toro mai ki tō mātou marae. The marae team looks forward to considering booking requests.

Teaching calendar

Marae bookings are scheduled to support Te Kawa a Māui’s academic timetable as much as possible. In most cases, academic room bookings are not finalised until the end of the first week of any trimester. Until this time the marae must hold sufficient marae spaces to fulfil Te Kawa a Māui teaching schedules. Once this is process is confirmed surplus timeslots will be released.

Wānanga and conference

Wānanga and conference timeslots are typically available during trimester breaks (outside of the University’s teaching periods)—see all of our key dates, however you can submit a conference or symposium request for any time as we may still be able to accommodate your needs.

He pā mataora—Living lightly

Ngā Mokopuna was designed using the Living Building™ standards. This international framework challenges how we think about our relationship with the taiao. From the design through to the utilisation of the building, we aspire to meet these standards, and we encourage all who visit or use the building to adhere to this framework.

Our marae community is committed to developing our ability to live resiliently and in balance with the natural world, rather than being a burden on it.

We are learning from our past, understanding how our tūpuna lived through previous environmental challenges, and learning about how our mātauranga can be flexible and adapt to living lightly.

This means that the marae operates a range of programmes and tikanga that the marae community and visitors are expected to comply with. For example, our protocols require ‘building users’ to:

• use less energy
• use less water
• significantly reduce or eliminate the production of waste
• practice socially and environmentally responsible procurement by, for example, avoiding products with harmful chemicals
• develop food resilience strategies and provide food that is good for us
• be mindful of other occupants in the building and of the spaces that are being utilised.

Request a booking

Before you request a booking for a one-off class, meeting, workshop, wānanaga, conference, or noho marae:

• Read the information about kawa and tikanga—protocols and customs of the marae.
• Learn about our protocols for he pā mataora—living lightly
• Research ngā ruma—rooms and spaces.
• Check out information about accessibility and parking.

Once you have submitted your request, the marae team will assess your requirements and reply, where appropriate, with:

• Instructions and recommendations based on, for example, the capacity of marae whānau (staff and students), the spaces available, and our tikanga obligation related to your request.
• A breakdown of costs for hire and services.

Complete the booking request form

Whakapā mai—Contacts

For general enquiries, email Te Herenga Waka Marae bookings at THWMaraebookings@vuw.ac.nz.

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