Marae visit

Tu Tangata, Issue 16, 1 March 1984, Page 10

Marae visit

A marae visit featured as part of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting conference which was recently held in Auckland.

About 120 delegates from all over the Pacific and other parts of the world attended the conference to come together and discuss developments in broadcasting. In the last stage of their twoweek conference they were given a tour around Auckland. “We wanted to relax the delegates just for one day and show them what New Zealand is really about,” said Mr Bill Earl, one of the coordinators of the conference.

The delegates were taken to sheep shearing and top dressing displays, a deer farm, a dog show and then a trip to the Hoani Waititi marae in West Auckland.

“These people are used to such diversity in their own countries and we wanted to show them our bi-cultural society,” said Mr Earl. “They were very interested in the marae and asked many questions about it.”

“We were grateful to be able to learn about the marae and the meeting house,” said Mr Abdullah Mohamad, the Director-General of Broadcasting in Malaysia. “It was overwhelming. I feel

the meeting house is more than that, it is a spiritual house.”

After tea, the delegates were entertained by the Maori culture group from Avondale High School who came second in the Auckland Secondary Schools’ Polynesian Festival. Afterwards, Dr Peter Sharpies and two workers from the marae demonstrated the use of the taiaha.