Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke's Bay marae project creates 40 jobs for locals

By Maddisyn Jeffares
Hawkes Bay Today·
24 Nov, 2021 01:27 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Shonn Roberts said, "I get to work on my own marae and pass on the skills I have to the apprentices coming through, setting them up for the future." Photo / Supplied

Shonn Roberts said, "I get to work on my own marae and pass on the skills I have to the apprentices coming through, setting them up for the future." Photo / Supplied

Many local Māori builders are flocking to marae renovation projects to restore iwi pride to their marae.

In October 2020, 19 marae in Heretaunga and Ahuriri received $6 million from the Provincial Growth Fund for the Te Tū Marae ki Te Matau a Māui project.

Houngarea Marae kaumātua Waa Harris said many marae would never have had the funding or would have taken "a very long time" to be able to save for the renovations.

The project is a national initiative to uplift marae, increase skills and provide employment to local Māori.

Yet the project is much more than beautifying and restoration.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Providing meaningful skills, training and mahi for Māori it's also reconnecting whānau and future proofing marae for mokopuna to enjoy for years to come.

Petāne Marae kaumātua Mary Martin said: "it has made such a difference to the marae, and we are hoping that it brings back whānau as there is more to do."

Prestige Limited managing director Lyndon Hakopa is leading the renovations as project manager.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Lyndon and his wife Derisa Hakopa are Hawke's Bay locals who took on the project as it closely aligned with the Prestige Limited kaupapa from the past 28 years; to work with and for Māori.

Lyndon Hakopa (left) and Derisa Hakopa, managing directors of Prestige Limited outside Taupunga whare, Waimārama Marae. Photo / Supplied
Lyndon Hakopa (left) and Derisa Hakopa, managing directors of Prestige Limited outside Taupunga whare, Waimārama Marae. Photo / Supplied

"Our marae are taonga that represent who we are as Māori."

"We feel privileged to deliver the much-needed work on our marae alongside whānau and to help change lives by providing opportunities for kaimahi to get the experience and skills that they can pass on," Derisa said.

Lyndon and his group of builders are now 12 months into the Te Tū Marae ki Te Matau a Māui project and going strong.

The project was expected to be completed this November. However, it was slowed due to limitations across the building industry and the need to respect marae protocol where tangihanga and whānau take precedence.

Despite Covid lockdowns, shortages of materials and tradespeople, the group have achieved many of their goals.

"We are about 75 per cent of the way through the project, with works in progress at 15 marae," Lyndon said.

As well as creating "at least 40 new jobs" Prestige Limited have ensured 90 per cent of the project kaimahi are Māori or Pasifika with many young apprentices working on-site,

"We try to use Māori owned sub-contractors as much as we can", Lyndon said.

Many unique experiences and opportunities have come out of the project.

Builder Shonn Roberts moved to the company specifically to work on the marae and train young apprentices.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Roberts said he took the job for several reasons. "It pulled on my heartstrings and made me think, instead of building new homes for random people, I could work on my own marae.

"Being able to work on the whare tipuna, I thought of my ancestors doing the mahi before me, and now it's my time to use my knowledge and put my work into it, and to also share my knowledge with the young ones coming through."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Business

Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

'Bringing the community together': Young new owner's plans for Hastings cinema

Hawkes Bay Today

Regional airline grounded for 10 days by Civil Aviation Authority

Hawkes Bay Today

New Four Square and shops planned for Taradale town centre


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Premium
Premium
'Bringing the community together': Young new owner's plans for Hastings cinema
Hawkes Bay Today

'Bringing the community together': Young new owner's plans for Hastings cinema

'I believe if there’s fair prices, people would love to come back to the movies.'

14 Jul 04:29 AM
Regional airline grounded for 10 days by Civil Aviation Authority
Hawkes Bay Today

Regional airline grounded for 10 days by Civil Aviation Authority

14 Jul 03:12 AM
New Four Square and shops planned for Taradale town centre
Hawkes Bay Today

New Four Square and shops planned for Taradale town centre

12 Jul 06:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP