Te Kahika Marae.

CLIENT | Te Kahika Marae Whanau + Screentime Productions

OUR ROLE | Sustainability Advisor + Build Team

The focus of the renovation at Te Kahika Marae was to address the health of their wharenui and therefore the people who will occupy it. Whanau were suspicious that asbestos was present in the existing building materials, so we tested the entire site and dealt with it appropriately.

The wharenui was historically of the style which is two thirds above, and one third in the ground meaning Te Kahika’s ancestors would have stepped down to a dirt floor. The floor space has since been infilled to match the ground floor level, but the base of the wharenui walls are still partly underground as they were originally. The result is that moisture from the earth is rising into the wharenui causing damp and rot. To combat this, a ‘moat’ of sorts was dug around the perimeter of the building and infilled with high draining materials to create space between the walls and earth.

All rotten framing was replaced and the walls were insulated, re-lined and re-clad. The roof was also repainted and whakairo were restored and reinstated.

Beyond the wharenui, the mattress room was severely damp and mould and was essentially re-built to provide a sound environment for storage. All buildings were re-painted. The kauta was extended to provide a highly functional preparation space. A lookout was created from concrete would-be-waste from paving that was replaced as part of the renovation. A recycling and compost area was formalised to support the Marae’s Para Kore efforts.

The whanau at Te Kahika were a joy to collaborate with and they worked together to achieve an impressive renovation of their Marae.