Marae DIY - Tapu Te Ranga Marae

In the early 1970s, Bruce Stewart began his dream project: a marae in the Wellington suburb of Island Bay. The complex grew into an iconic 10-storey high wharenui, built with the help of many hands. Decades later, the unique marae complex got the Marae DIY treatment. A large team of helpers arrived to do over the driveway entrance, spruce up the general area and refit a bathroom. Stewart, who died in June 2017, was known for helping people in need, teaching them how to build and providing accommodation. Sadly the main meeting house was destroyed by fire in early June 2019, after this episode was filmed.

Like the proverb by Cliff Whiting, the marae is everything. It’s your place of learning, from preschool to university. Your sustenance, your place of prayer, it’s your everything, your marae.

– Pare Sannyasi, who lives at Tapu Te Ranga marae

Key Cast & Crew

Te Ori Paki

Presenter, Te Reo Consultant

Kathryn Graham

Network Commissioner

Roy Taoho

Camera Operator

Emma Calveley

Producer

Riki Reinfeld

Camera Operator

Lanita Ririnui-Ryan

Director