Wharenui

Many of the meeting houses that were built for or under the direction of Te Kooti have survived to the present day as an essential expression of Māori art and culture at its creative apex. They contain messages in their whakairo and iconography, invariably of relevance to those tribal communities. The wharenui include:

• Te Whai o te Motu at Ruatāhuna
• Oruataupare at Kōkōhīnau, Te Teko and
• Te Tokanganui-a-noho at Te Kuiti.

Then there are the wharenui that he inspired or that were built for him or for Te Kooti to open including:

• Awanuiārangi at Te Pāhou, Whakatāne
• Rongopai at Patutahi, Gisborne
• Te Poho o Pikihoro at Te Karaka, Gisborne
• Te Ngāwari at Mangatu, Gisborne
• Tapuhikitia at Puha, Gisborne
• Te Rongopai, Te Haroto Marae, Napier
• Eripitana at Te Whaiti and
• Tane Whirinaki at Waioeka.

They too are part of a distinctive and lasting legacy of Māori creative arts that Te Kooti inspired and supported. Te Kooti would often leave a kupu whakaari or waiata at the opening which often became as enduring as the wharenui themselves. Sometimes, those kupu whakaari contained stark and even brutal messages. The houses are also significant in that several underscore Te Kooti’s standing and influence within those communities that built them.