Te Whare Runanga is the meeting house at Waitangi, built to commemorate the Treaty Centenary Celebrations in 1940. It was designed to stand alongside the Treaty House, to symbolise Maori involvement in the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and its underlying role as the document which brings the people of New Zealand together as one nation.
Te Whare Runanga is similar in appearance to other meeting houses on marae around New Zealand, but it unique because it was built to be shared by all Maori tribes - a national marae.
There is a figure at the apex of the gable as you enter Te Whare Runanga, which depicts Kupe, the Pacific explorer Kupe. Other carvings depict ancestors from many Maori tribes around New Zealand.
Te Whare Runanga, standing on the Waitangi Treaty grounds - Credit: Blue Orb
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