Ōtautahi / Christchurch Daily Photo

A Marae is a traditional Maori meeting place. This pictures shows the entrance to Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae, which is a multi-cultural marae to serve the needs of citizens irrespective of ethnic origin. It’s located on Pages Road (in east Christchurch) and has Maori cultural performances in the evening.

Here’s a definition of the carving on the entrance:

“Its carvings depict the history of New Zealand, showing eight warriors paddling a canoe which is representative of all the ancestral canoes at Waitangi in 1840 and, opposite, Captain William Hobson, RN, Governor of New Zealand at that time. This entrance symbolises the Marae as a place for all citizens of New Zealand”. Source : Christchurch Library Website