Story: Papatūānuku – the land

Māhinaarangi wharenui (meeting house)

Māhinaarangi wharenui (meeting house)

This wharenui (meeting house) is at Tūrangawaewae marae, at Ngāruawāhia. When the marae was established, it fulfilled a saying from Tāwhiao, the second Māori king. The king had described Ngāruawahia as his tūrangawaewae (footstool). Since then, this idea has been expanded, and people from many tribes speak of their marae as their tūrangawaewae, meaning a place to stand.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Albert Percy Godber Collection (PA-Group-00048)
Reference: APG-0953-1/2-G
Photograph by Albert Percy Godber

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, 'Papatūānuku – the land - Tūrangawaewae – a place to stand', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/11445/mahinaarangi-wharenui-meeting-house (accessed 21 April 2024)

Story by Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, published 24 Sep 2007