Whare

Matua Grant came to our Rimu Hui and told us a few things about the Whare. Here is my blog post about what he told us. Enjoy.





Te whare wananga o Te Maro

The whare is like a body. The long piece of wood that runs along the top of the Whare is called Tahuhu, the backbone.

Heke ribs The smaller pieces of wood that come off the Tahuhu are called the Heke, the Ribs.

The outside pillars represent arms.

The inside is like the inside of a body.




The wooden figures outside of the Whare represent three Iwi. The top is from Takitimu Waka. The middle one is from Matua. The one on the bottom Is from Ngati Pukenga. They hold a rope which represents the houses of Tauranga Intermediate. The nails in the head of the one on the top is used by carvers to represent hair. Statues like this always face North, as thats the way the sun rises.






He also told us about the carving outside the classrooms of Matai. The head represents an ancestor, and the arms branch out from the sides. The paintings also represent the different classes. There is a tuna, a crab. A mako, shark. And an Eel. Then there is the Tuatara. They are the names of the classrooms in Matai.