Ārai Te Uru Marae

Ārai Te Uru Marae
General information
Type	Marae
Address	24 Shetland Street
Town or city	Wakari, Dunedin
Country	New Zealand
Coordinates	45°51′40″S 170°29′30″E
Completed	1980

Ārai Te Uru Marae (also spelt Āraiteuru Marae) is a pan-iwi marae, in Wakari, Dunedin. It is named after Āraiteuru, the ancestral ocean-going canoe and is the first urban marae in Aotearoa. In a 2025 public statement to the local city council, the marae describes itself as "a taonga — an irreplaceable cultural, economic, and social asset that stands not only as a beacon for Te Ao Māori in Ōtepoti Dunedin but also as a welcoming inclusive hub for all people."

History

Conception and construction

Ārai Te Uru Marae dates its foundation to discussions among Māori battalion soldiers in World War 2 and their desire for "... a place in our own land where we can be as one."

A meeting of concerned elders and members of the Dunedin Māori community established the Araiteuru Marae Council on 28 April 1964 with the aim of a facility "for all Maori people in the district, whatever their tribal origin." Fundraising took about 30 years before building began on land near Shetland St, Balmacewen in the late 1970s.

The Shetland Street facility opened on 10 February 1980 with Minister of Māori Affairs Ben Couch as official guest. The new marae was "an educational centre, training in arts and crafts, customs, language classes, cultural evenings, tangihanga, and a meeting place for different organisations" including "Pacific Island and other ethnic groups."

Arson attack and aftermath

The marae was the target of an arson and graffiti on 18 August 1997. The fire destroyed the marae dining area. This attack was described by the marae as "a tragic event, which has taken its toll on the ability of the local Maori community to recover from this grave injustice". The marae website stated: "Around the same time the Ngai Tahu Maori Law Centre was burnt to the ground. Both torchings coincided with the settling of the Kai Tahu land claims, a critical landmark decision. The community understands little about this incident. What matters is to reconstruct and recreate a new vision for our future."

An editorial in the Otago Daily Times newspaper decribed the arson as "a tragic blow to the community." and "deeply disturbing...that the fire was a racial attack of some kind...". The Dunedin Multi-ethnic Council condemned the arson as comparable to the burning of a church. Māori and Pākehā gathered on 18 August 1997 to pray for forgiveness for those responsible as the site was bulldozed to prevent safety issues from debris.

The arson was featured on TVNZ police show Crime scene on 8 September 1997, attracting 20 calls to police with information.

The cost of rebuilding the hall was later estimated at $320,000.

Fundraising and rebuilding

Funding for a replacement (and much expanded) facility came from insurance and grants from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board as well as several local fundraising efforts:

• A concert headlined by Moana Maniapoto Jackson with local kapa haka groups and bands was held on 11 December 1997 to launch a national appeal to raise the $1.5-1.2 million rebuild the Shetland St marae wharekai (dining-room), and build a wharenui followed by a health clinic and gymnasium. 1000 people attended
• "Out of the Ashes, part 2", a second fundraiser in the Dunedin Town Hall on 1 May 1998, featuring Moana & The Moa Hunters
• Dunedin City Council approved a grant of $25,000 in April 1998.
• Te Waipounamu Festival, a cultural competition for performers from throughout the South Island in waiata (singing), poi, action song, haka, whaikorero (oratory) and choral singing on 24 October 1998.
• A ball to celebrate Matariki on 7 June 2003.

By March 2003, $1.35 million had been secured and the project had received the assent of local mana whenua Ōtākou Rūnaka, Te Rūnanga o Moeraki and Kāti Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki.

Work by Naylor Love on the rebuild began in August 2003 (five years after the destruction) assisted by a $350,000 donation from the Community Trust of Otago and a sale of sponsored blocks of Oamaru stone for the building's exterior.

The rebuilt marae

The marae reopened in 2003.

In 2004, the marae hosted the Russia national rugby league team, and was granted $30,000 from Creative New Zealand to make tukutuku panels. The following year, the land was declared a Māori reserve, which gave Ngāi Tahu as mana whenua an official role at the marae. In the same year, a further racist graffiti attack inspired support from the community.

Two hundred Otago-based leaders from many iwi including Ngāpuhi, Tūhoe, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Tainui and Ngāti Porou gathered at the marae in 2006 to celebrate He Whakaputanga, the document asserting New Zealand independence or rangatiratanga in 1835.

In 2008, Āraiteuru Marae became the first smoke-free marae in Otago. It hosted 85 Bhutanese refugees for two weeks in 2011 after they were further displaced by the 2011 Christchurch earthquake

Otago Community Trust awarded a $91,000 grant in 2022 for building repairs to the kaumātua flats on the marae.

Position in the community

The Dunedin City Council's policy on Māori partnership, Te tūhono ki te Māori, states: "Ko te Kaunihera o te Marae o Āraiteuru, te marae ā-tāone o Ōtepoti ka tū hai mākai mō te hapori mataawaka." "The Araiteuru Marae Council, Dunedin’s urban marae are also recognised as representing the mataawaka community in the city."

In a public statement to the city council in 2025, the marae described itself as playing "...a vital role in advancing the economic, health, wellbeing, and cultural aspirations of our communities. Through workshops, wānanga, healing programmes, environmental education, community celebrations, and cultural events, the marae fosters both personal and collective development. It serves as a training ground for young people, a support space for whānau in need, and a place for all people to engage with te ao Mãori in a meaningful, respectful, and safe way"

Housing for elders

The marae features eight kaumātua flats for senior members of its community. These were built in the 1980s and reopened in 2025 after refurbishment, with improved insulation, double glazing, heat pumps and improved accessibility for people with disabilities.

Garden and food sharing

The marae has a large vegetable garden and orchard which are used to provide food for a pātaka kai (community food pantry). The gardening (and forest restoration along Kaikorai Stream) are carried out in cooperation with the adjacent Shetland Street Community Garden.

Regular community meal events, called Pātaka Ora, are held, based on the Māori practice of manaakitanga — hospitality, generosity, and respect for guests and visitors.

Language and culture classes

The marae began a programme of teaching te reo Māori and performance in 1981, with the aim of bringing different tribes of the area together. By 2009 it was also popular among Pākehā, and an all-girls kapa haka group was being set up.

See also

• Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae, a similar marae in Christchurch

External links

• 2009 archive of Araiteuru Marae website