The Whare

“The whare project is a joy for Marian and will be our own taonga for our whānau and kura. Our Māori ākonga are looking forward to a special place to learn and to celebrate Te Reo Māori and Tikanga. The school community and whānau understand the importance of a whare for Marian. The whare is a key part of our support and commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and will be an integral part of our daily school life. Marian has a long tradition of manaakitanga and being a family kura, which welcomes all. Our whare will be central to showing aroha and we look forward to sharing this beautiful space with the local kura and hāpori.”

MARY-LOU DAVIDSON - PRINCIPAL

The whare reflects our commitment to Te Ao Māori and the popularity of Te Reo Māori at Marian. Located at the front entry to the College, it will be used daily for teaching and cultural activities. Our own whare will be a base for our ākonga (students) and place to embrace learning, language, culture and whakawhanaungatanga (kinship) within our ākonga, kaiako (teachers), whānau and hāpori (community). It will be an important place of welcome and meeting. Over time, we will seek $1 million dollars for this build. While this is not part of our immediate campaign, gifts to the whare project are welcomed.

“Having a whare at the new school would be terrific.Māori is a native language in New Zealand and is strongly encouraged within Aotearoa schools and especially Marian College. As the Māori leader I would love to see a whare to show diversity within the school and the importance of Te Ao Māori culture.”

BRIE BENN