Tapu Te Ranga Marae raises $42,000 for rebuild effort after fire

Tapu Te Ranga Marae is fundraising to rebuild after its main building was razed by fire on Sunday night. Photo / Twitter

More than $42,000 has been raised to help rebuild Wellington's Tapu Te Ranga Marae, which was destroyed by fire in the early hours of Sunday morning.

There were 35 people from a Scouts NZ group staying at the live-in Island Bay marae at the time, including 27 children aged 8-11.

Scouts NZ chief executive Joshua Tabor said all got out unharmed, "thanks to one of our volunteers who awoke to see smoke and flames just after midnight and quickly took action to get all the kids out.

"We are reasonably certain that had they not acted quickly there would have been fatalities. We are deeply grateful to them."

Some 70 firefighters battled the blaze at its peak but were unable to save the sprawling multi-storey building. However the main meeting house was saved.

The marae was built by hand from scrap and recycled materials in the 1970s. Founded by playwright Bruce Stewart, it became a place for homeless and unemployed youth to find a place to belong. It has since hosted thousands of visitors every year.

One anonymous donor to the Givealittle page said he would never forget yesterday's incident: "There is no amount of money and I don't have the words. Your whare, our whare helped me to be Māori. Without your koro's dream, I wouldn't be the man I am today. I owe a debt I can never repay."

Money raised will go to the Tapu Te Ranga Charitable Trust to help with the rebuild, according to the Give a Little page.