New site puts marae on net

CHERIE TAYLOR | 5th May 2007

Irihana Tuhiwai's grandchildren in Australia can now keep up with all the news from their family marae online.

A new website is linking 10 Rotorua marae with whanau all over the world and it's hoped the concept will catch on and be expanded to include marae around the country.

Mrs Tuhiwai is one of nine content managers for the section on NaumaiPlace.com dedicated to Taurua Marae at Rotoiti. Each of the 10 Te Arawa marae involved have at least five content managers, who have been trained to update the website with news from their marae.

"I've got two grandchildren in Aussie and they will now be able to surf the website and find out about where they come from and connect with the people who are their whanau," Mrs Tuhiwai said. "They can find out they don't come from the bright lights of the city but from a special place. This is their roots."

Statistics show 85 per cent of Maori live away from their marae and there is every indication the new website will be popular, with more than a million hits within an hour of its launch yesterday.

The website's general manager Tahi Tait said it was hoped all 1200 marae in New Zealand would eventually be featured on the site.

The online community would link Maori with their marae, offering up-to-date information about what was happening at home.

"This provides a tool for them to reconnect with their marae and whanau no matter where they are in the world," he said.

NaumaiPlace.com, funded by Te Arawa Lakes Trust and Te Puni Kokiri, was launched at the Rotorua Convention Centre yesterday.

The website allows for marae to present their histories with facilities for photo galleries as well as noticeboards advertising events and tangihanga (funerals). Marae will also be able to feature taonga (treasure) on the website and there will be an online store, similar to other online auction sites, where members will be able to sell goods for a donation.

"The site provides for people to be able to make koha [donations] to their marae and for the marae to be able to fundraise by selling things," Mr Tait said.

Members will also be able to book marae for functions online.

It was hoped to eventually link rangitahi (teenagers) with each other through a section similar to Bebo and MySpace.

"Today, the internet is a major source of information for people. Naumai is about flax roots for Maori," Mr Tait said.

"Taking viewers back to their marae and reconnecting people with who they are and where they come from. It's all about using technology to bring that ancient wisdom to the new millennium."