April 27, 2017
Repairs needed for Ratana temple
Ratana has started fundraising to repair one of its most important buildings, the 90-year-old temple at Ratana Pa.
Church secretary Piriwiritua Rurawhe says the design was based on temples church founder Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana saw in Japan in 1924 during his world tour.
There is a medium to long term plan to fix structural problems with the roof, but the immediate priority is to waterproof the building.
"A lot of the original tiles that sit on the roof have unseated over time and created holes in the tuanui or the tahuhu of the whare. It's opened up to the elements and water has got into the structure of the roof. When waterproofing is completed we will look at the structural work and the third phase is the beautification, the repainting," Mr Rurawhe says.
Ratana hopes to have the bulk of the work finished in time for the church centenary in November 2018.
A Givealittle page has been set up
FULL INTERVIEW WITH PIRIWIRITUA RURAWHE
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