Location
List Entry Information
Overview
Detailed List Entry
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
4155
Date Entered
9th September 1989
Date of Effect
9th September 1989
City/District Council
Matamata-Piako District
Region
Waikato Region
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
4155
Date Entered
9th September 1989
Date of Effect
9th September 1989
City/District Council
Matamata-Piako District
Region
Waikato Region
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value This building was built in the Maungakawa hills, moved to Waharoa in 1901 and then transported to Rukumoana Pa, Kiwitahi in 1917. It was the second Maori Parliament building to be constructed, the first having been burnt out in 1898. Kauhanganui was a meeting and discussion place for Maori leaders from all over New Zealand. It had both an Upper and Lower House. During the early twentieth century, the building at Rukumoana was largely used to deal with Maori land problems, seeking settlement by negotiating with central government in Wellington. The building is closely associated with the Maori King movement, established in 1857. This movement was centred on the Tainui tribes of the Waikato region, and Wiremu Tamehana ("The Kingmaker"), representing the moderate wing of the two main parties, was one of the most important figures associated with the movement. He was the principal advocate of a Maori parliament and may have been responsible for the design of this structure.
Physical Significance
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: The principal architectural significance of this building lies in its marriage of a pakeha building format (Victorian secular architecture) with indigenous traditions (Maori meeting houses). The extension of the gable at each end of the building suggests a vestigal porch structure and the high and wide pitch of the roof connotes the traditional style of a meeting house. The placement of two carved wooden decorations at the apex of the roof is the only exterior concession to the building's importance as a meeting place. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK SIGNIFICANCE: Finial
Construction Details
Start Year
1917
Type
Original Construction
Construction Materials
Timber weatherboards with corrugated iron roof.
Notable Features
Wooden decorations have been removed from the roofline, but finial still exists and is a special feature.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION (STYLE): Single storey rectangular building with the entrance on the long side symmetrically flanked by four rectangular double-hung windows. Decoration is simple with bargeboards applied to gable ends and a carved finial. Application of vertical timbers above and below the openings on each side denote the ribs of a traditional Maori meeting house. MODIFICATIONS: The building has twice been moved.
Information Sources
Oliver, 1981
William H. Oliver, The Oxford History of New Zealand, Wellington, 1981
Phillips, 1955
William J. Phillips, Carved Maori Houses of Western and Northern Areas of New Zealand, Wellington, 1955
Gorst, 1959
Keith Sinclair [ed], The Maori King, Hamilton and London, 1959 (original 1864)
Report Written By
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Former Usages
General Usage:: Maori
Specific Usage: Kīngitanga parliament buildings
Themes
Of Significance to Maori