Te Pūrakau o Te Makaro
Te Papatipu Matihiko – Culture and Digital Innovation Nestled at the heart of Te Wairoa’s river sits Te Makaro, a digital learning space with a history as rich, deep and diverse as the waters that flow past their doors. From Kōhanga to Pā Tuwatawata: The space once served as a Kōhanga, a nesting site for Makaro, later becoming a Pā Tuwatawata, a fighting Pā. Adjacent to this was another Pā, Te Waihirere. There, the Makiekie stream flows into the Wairoa river, known for its connection to the waka Takitimu and now Takitmu marae. Further along the river stood another Pā, that of Pitiera Kopu. A Place of Grounding and Growth: Whilst the building was originally part of the Wairoa College Home Economics block in the 1960s, it found its way to where it sits now in 2007. Local Taiao advocate, Arna Galvan was the original purchaser and transformed the building
