44 | Ōruanui Marae Residential | Commercial | Industrial Ph: 0508 22 88 99 | advancedplumbing.co.nz Plumbing Drainage Gas Proud to partner with Oruanui Marae We think outside the box to deliver you the best. Our team is focused and passionate about innovation, expert technical advice and consistently high quality workmanship across plumbing, drainage, gas and heating. We partner with our clients to ensure the best possible solution for every project. Proudly supporting Oruanui Marae INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR PROJECTS 0800 832 452 // techlam.nz New Zealand’s premium structural glulaminated timber manufacturer REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT All set to welcome visitors The new wharekai has a polished concrete floor complete with underfloor heating in the dining room. T T Virginia Wright Sitting peacefully in the rolling green landscape to the west of Taupō the Ōruanui Marae officially reopened its doors in May this year on the completion of its new wharekai and other buildings ready to be used and enjoyed now and long into the future. Wayne Currie was Project Manager for the Te Kapa o Te Rangiita ki Ōruanui hapū, a subtribe of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, working on their behalf. He served as their liaison with the construction company and contractors involved in the marae’s redevelopment over the two years or so it took to progress from concept to completion. All decisions were run past the Te Kapa o Te Rangiita Marae Trustees and backed up by Wayne’s decades of experience building and project managing for Tier One companies and independently. In alignment with his clients’ intention to utilise local resources where they could the tender for the project was awarded to local company Watts Construction who in their turn employed local sub-contractors wherever possible. A winter start didn’t hold the build up as much as it might elsewhere thanks to Taupō’s pumice soil which quickly allows rainfall to drain away. The wharekai was demolished and the site cleared to make way for the new modern wharekai. “They had an old building that catered for maybe 50 people, so the concept was to build a new wharekai with modern facilities that could cater 200 people, and that would be longstanding for generations to come. It’s now a 400sqm building which includes a 100sqm kitchen, all carefully designed so that the whole building points towards the west which is where their ancestors came from,” says Wayne. The new wharekai has a polished concrete floor complete with underfloor heating in the dining room, a welcome addition in a region which often has sub-zero temperatures on winter mornings. Verandahs protect the newly laid walkway around the building with its clean lines, well-balanced proportions, and glass etched in beautiful designs reflecting its hapū’s identity. Knowing that the wharekai would host up to 200 people meant they paid attention to its acoustics. The ceiling is covered in fluted plywood sheets with an acoustic backing which successfully reduce the amount of noise bouncing off the concrete floor. Exposed laminated timber beams in the dining room stand out against an interior painted in the traditional colours which were refreshed throughout the marae inside and out while preserving its heritage, Wayne says. “It’s a modern building but we wanted it to blend in, so the roof is painted in deep red, or scoria, to match the existing wharenui which dates back to the 1900s. We freshened up the whole environment giving all the buildings a coat of paint in a clean, pumicey colour which gave everything a lift.” Wayne’s original build programme was extended when they decided to close in what had originally been seen as an outdoor area for food prep, thereby allowing it to be used regardless of the weather. The build nevertheless came in on budget, a testament to the calibre of all involved. “It was a very successful project, no health and safety issues, and everyone worked through things very smoothly. The work was produced to a very high standard in my eyes and I found myself becoming more personally connected with the project as time went on,” says Wayne. “I could see that this was more than just a building. It meant a lot to a lot of people and to future generations. It has a historical significance and I’m proud to have been part of it.”
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