Rūnaka & Marae
Murihiku Support
Southland has four papatipu rūnaka. Information about Ngai Tahu can be found here Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.
The four Runaka are:
Waihōpai Rūnaka
Ko Takitimu te mauka,
Ko Kōreti te awa, Ko Uruao,
Ko Tākitimu kā waka,
Ko Murihiku te marae,
Ko Te Rakitauneke te wharenui,
Ko Hine o te iwi te wharekai,
Ko Kāi Tahu te iwi, Tihei mauri ora!
The takiwa of Waihopai Runaka centres on Waihopai and extends northwards to Te Matau sharing an interest in the lakes and mountains to the western coast with other Murihiku Runanga and those located from Waihemo southwards.
Waihōpai Rūnaka is based at Murihiku Marae in Waihōpai (Invercargill) being one of the 18 Papatipu Rūnaka within Te Waipounamu and one of the four within Murihiku takiwā. Waihōpai Rūnaka actively upholds the mana of our people and takes on the responsibility of ahikā. Furthermore Waihōpai Rūnaka supports the economic and educational interests of our people while keeping alive the culture, tikaka and pūrakau of Waihōpai.
The name means `the tail end of the land` in Māori. Murihiku Marae is the local marae for the iwi of Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe and Waitaha. Murihiku connects ancestrally to kā waka Uruao me Takitimu, mauka Takitimu and Te Moana Ara a Kewa.
Since the mid-1940s it was the dream of Murihiku Māori Ngāi Tahu to have a Tūrakawaewae – a special place to stand. They held meetings to discuss community concerns. In the 1950s from many other iwi began to move to Southland for jobs in the local freezing works and in shearing industry. It is important to acknowledge the strong relationship Ngāi Tahu has developed and maintained with Māta Waka in Waihōpai (Invercargill). This has been instrumental in supporting Māori in the community and in the building of Murihiku Marae.
The wharekai, Hine o te Iwi, was the first building on the site when it opened in June 1983. The wharenui, Te Rakitauneke, opened in February 1990.