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

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)