Taheke Marae.

CLIENT | Taheke Marae Whānau + Screentime Productions

The community at Taheke Marae, in the Hokianga, were strong and committed to the restoration of their marae. Whānau were clear that their priority was to restore their wharenui to greatness and direct their focus and attention to her. During construction, over 300 whānau members volunteered on site daily, including several highly skilled tradespeople. As a result, in just four days, we were able to complete a full renovation of the wharenui including re-cladding, re-roofing, replacing rotten framing, installing insulation, new windows, new doors and solar panels, and a complete internal refurbishment including new lining, restored carvings, and new carpet.

As the wharenui is considered a living being, the whānau wanted to approach the renovation with a high level of care and we made sure that only the healthiest materials were used to re-build her.  All internal building materials were low VOC emitting and had Declare labels (the health label for building materials). This attention to detail produced a healthy, comfortable environment for those who would occupy the wharenui.

Both innovative new technologies and restored existing materials were used. The world’s first Living Product Certified carpet was installed - a product which gives more to the environment through it’s manufacturing process than it takes. Existing native kauri was carefully removed from the wharenui exterior, and re-finished at a local mill into beautiful, long slabs which were used as vertical ‘rib’s’ on the internal walls - representing the experience of entering the ‘belly’ of the Wharenui.

It was moving to be part of this Marae DIY and work alongside the Taheke whānau - who proved that incredible, high-quality outcomes can be achieved at pace when a community is strong and connected.