Sir James also went on to say ‘there a several urban Marae to the East, to the West and to the South of Auckland and rural Marae to the North but none on the North Shore – serving a large Māori population and the community in general’
Awataha Marae was built for precisely that purpose – to serve a large Māori population and the North Shore community in general. Sadly there is now a long history with Awataha Marae Incorporated Society (AMI) denying the wider community of North Shore residents and Māori whanau in particular the ability to be an integral part of this Marae and have a voice. The latest example occurred on 16 September 2016 when 82 membership applications were submitted to the AMI and to date have not been accepted. Over the past months we have tried to have this resolved but our attempts have proved futile. We want membership to the Awataha Marae Incorporated Society and the acceptance of our membership applications. We also want a Special General Meeting to be called that is inclusive of the wider community. Let the community fulfill the original dream to have a fully functional community-led marae for everyone on the North Shore to enjoy. No longer do we want Awataha Marae controlled by a few people that have been mostly self-appointed.
