A Blenheim marae says a significant renovation project has provided an opportunity to establish new relationships with different parts of the community, and reinforce links with people it already deals with.
Omaka marae was chosen by the Marae DIY programme on Maori TV to be given a major facelift at the end of March, the first restoration venture of its kind since the marae was built in 1987.
Marae manager Kiley Nepia says that as well as iwi members pitching in, the project also attracted organisations which have never really had anything to do with Omaka before.
He says it's been the start of new friendships.
Mr Nepia says there were two types of people involved in the DIY project, those with ties to the marae and those with none.
He says, for those with no relationship, it provided the chance to forge new friendships, while for those such as Air Force cadets at Woodbourne, who have had a long association with the marae, it provided an opportunity to reconnect.
