Education Grant and Scholarship Distribution

Marae Cluster Report

SUMMARY

March 2021 marked the beginning of the marae cluster project and in June 2022 the last of the marae fully completed their work and were able to officially reopen their doors to whānau and hapū. Through the duration of the project, we not only achieved the objectives of the funder, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), but far exceeded whānau and hapū expectations.

Some of those outcomes included:

a Immediate redeployment of workers impacted by COVID-19 b Employing Ngāti Awa uri c Whānau and hapū returning to the marae d Marae buildings and infrastructure made safe and compliant e Immediate financial injection into the local economy via the engagement of local suppliers and sub-contractors to complete marae work.

He Marae iwi kore he maumau,

He iwi marae kore ehara.

MARAE WORKS COMPLETED

Work schedules, although different, shared common areas of high need including:

• re-roofing of marae buildings • Fencing and landscaping • Repair, replace and install flooring • Carpark and driveway installation and repairs • Internal reparation of marae buildings • Repair and installation of waharoa • Updating of electrical systems • Repair and installation of whakairo • Earthworks • Repair and install lighting • Internal and external painting • Carving reparation

REDEPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT

The most valued asset throughout the entire project has been the Kaimahi. Through the project, Kaimahi have gained real transferable skills from the building and construction industry, their confidence continued to grow as the project went along, individuals demonstrated an excellent work ethic, and with the support of the PMO team, they were transitioned into other fulltime employment at the end of their projects.

Some of the interventions to support the Kaimahi transition to work included:

• Working with 27 kaimahi to develop CVs and provided employment references • 4 kaimahi passed their Class 1 driver license • 23 kaimahi engaged by pastoral care support • 10 kaimahi completed Growsafe Basic Certificate • 6 kaimahi completed Wheels, Tracks and Rollers • 3 kaimahi completed Class 2 Learners and Full FEEDBACK

We as Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa have faced many challenges and learnings throughout this entire project from operating within MBIE processes, change in leaderships, Covid-19, communication, to recruiting staff on the go and creating many new relationships. This was an entirely new and big project for all of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa and the first of its kind in many ways.

Post Project we released an open survey through many channels to gain feedback on the entire project from others and these were the averages from 1 (not good) – 10 (very good) to our proposed questions.

How satisfied were you with the overall outcome of your renovation project?

1 2 (NOT GOOD) 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 (VERY GOOD)

How satisfied were you with how your project was delivered?

1 2 (NOT GOOD) 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 (VERY GOOD)

How likely are you to engage with our project management team for future projects?

1 2 (NOT GOOD) 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 (VERY GOOD)

There were also many highlights within this project from seeing the skills and growth cultivated in kaimahi, witnessing Iwi, hapū and whānau reconnecting and collaborating to get works done, and admiring the many works completed. For Michelle Merito (General Laborer at Te Pāhou Marae), she loved ‘seeing what the old people used in the past to build the marae’ as they just used what they had available at the time as well as the support she received during training which ‘gave her the confidence that she could do it’. For Riki Burnett (General Laborer for Te Rewatu Marae), this mahi taught him about his ‘marae, whakapapa knowledge of history, hapū, iwi, and self-belonging to his whenua and knowing that he had a part in rebuilding it is a feeling never to be lost’.

MINISTRY OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION

The on-going relationship with MBIE has been positive and communication remains regular. The PMO team hosted 2 site visits for MBIE and representatives of Kanoa, the Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit of Ministry of Business. 10 of the 12 marae were visited to showcase the great work being achieved despite the many challenges that marae and kaimahi needed to navigate for example, delays caused by Covid-19, and supplier material shortages and delivery delays. CONCLUSION

Through the marae project we were able to upskill and develop kaimahi for better future pathways and marae were renovated eliminating health and safety issues, restoring marae to current building compliance. Since the completion of the Marae Cluster Project, many of the marae have held re-opening ceremonies, to celebrate their hard work and allow whānau, hapū and iwi to return to their marae and appreciate the newly renovated spaces.