Marae trustees meet funding deadline for Stage 1 of Infrastructure rebuild

Marae Trustees have met the funding application deadline for the infrastructure rebuild for Stage 1.  Funding applications for the Department of Internal Affairs’ Oranga Marae Fund closed at 5 pm, Friday 23rd April 2021. 

All up, the trust needs $1.8m to pay for the infrastructure upgrade.  However, funding applications of this size rarely get traction with the funder because the pool of marae applicants is so huge for the amount of funding available.  Consequently, the Trust has taken this on board and broken the funding applications into two stages.  The funding application submitted to DIA last Friday for the Oranga Marae Fund is for Stage 1.

The cost of Stage 1 is $1,253,224.00 (excluding GST). 

The request for funding, however, is $801,051.00 (excluding GST). 

The Waipapa Marae Trust contributed to the shortfall.

The key building components for Stage 1 are to:

1.       Address the Wastewater system

2.       Modify Taku Hiahia ablutions to provide compliant toilets and showers

3.       Install a new retaining wall at the driveway at the back of Taku Hiahia and widen the driveway to comply with Fire and Emergency requirements

4.       Install water sprinklers in Taku Hiahia

Chair, Waipapa Marae Trust, Cathrine Holland confirmed, we should hear by the end of June if the application is successful. 

“All going according to plan, construction will commence on 15 July 2021 and we plan to finish the Stage 1 upgrade on 18 January 2022 - well before next year's Poukai. Once it’s completed, we can safely re-open the marae.”

Looking ahead. Cath says Stage 2 is dependent on further funding.

“We will be looking for other government, community, and philanthropic funding to raise $517,400.00 (GST exclusive ) to complete this work. This means we will have to start fundraising for Stage 2 at up-and-coming events like the Kāwhia Food Festival,” she says.  

Cath would like to sincerely thank our beneficiaries and families in bereavement who have been taxed by the marae closure due to health and safety standards.

“I know it’s been hard for all of our whanau who lost loved ones during the lockdown and marae closure.  My own family suffered the passing of my nephew Pāhi and as whānau pani we mourn with all of our grieving families.  We’re not out of the woods yet but we can now faintly see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Cath says.

Waipapa Marae has been closed for the last 13 months since lockdown in 2020.  Six months were due to restrictions with COVID 19 and the remaining months because of our failing infrastructure.  During this time, the Trust contracted PAUA Architects to complete a Technical Feasibility Study Report, funded by Waikato Tainui.  The Feasibility Report was a prerequisite to applying for the government funding programme ORANGA MARAE and Cath reaffirms, the closing date for applications to DIA was last Friday 23 April, 2021.

“We met the deadline.  I wish to thank our marae trustees for the huge amount of work they have all put into meeting the application deadline.  The scope of technology required to get the infrastructure upgrade done is enormous.  I’m so proud to lead this group of trustees who have worked hard to:

• scope the enormity of the upgrade
• analyse the options on the table
• review the cost and budget for the rebuild
• meet the funding application deadline for Stage 1.

Cath reinforces, the responsibility trustees carry out on behalf of marae beneficiaries is a thankless job with no recompense unlike most trusts. 

“As we’ve witnessed from the court case, trustees are targeted with criticism whether it’s warranted or not.  But be mindful, there has been no infrastructure upgrade for several years now and from a health and safety perspective, anyone using our marae assets are in breach of health and safety standards and the trustees are responsible by court of law.  If anyone is harmed while using our marae facilities, it’s the trustees who go for a skate not the beneficiaries, nor the marae committee or the paepae.  It’s the marae trust who cops the hand of the law,” she reaffirms.

Cath reinforces this infrastructure upgrade is necessary by law and a huge undertaking.  She wishes to remind everyone this is all part of our marae development plan.  However, without financial support from Waikato Tainui, the Department of Internal Affairs, Te Puni Kōkiri and Trust Waikato we would not be able to afford this restructure. 

“This upgrade is about health and safety standards and we’re very grateful to our funders.  Covid 19 made us quickly realize that we didn’t have a plan to deal with the impact of a pandemic.  Nor did we have a strategy to deal with hygiene standards around the preparation of food.  Then our insurance criteria kicked in for 40 or more people sleeping on the marae at any one time meaning we needed fire alarms, water sprinklers, and sufficient tank water.  We have the water.  Now we need the money to fix the infrastructure with water sprinklers and fire alarms,” Cath says.

The Department of Internal Affairs will now consider all funding applications and a decision is expected in June 2021.