Te Whare Akoranga o Te Pane o Mataoho / Mangere Mountain Education Centre

Introduction to the Centre

The Mangere Mountain Education Centre (MMEC), located on the eastern side of Mangere Mountain, is a place where people of all ages can learn about the mountain and its people. We are a non-profit organisation administered by the Mangere Mountain Education Trust, and supported by Te Wai-o-Hua, Auckland City Council and the Department of Conservation.

We invite you to visit the Centre and enjoy its collection of artefacts and displays, illustrating the volcanic formation of the mountain, and the life of its Maori inhabitants over the centuries since the first migrations from Hawaikii.

Guided walks and practical workshops are available for schools, clubs and groups with an interest in learning more about the mountain. Individual visitors and families can visit the Centre and explore the Mountain.

Our Facilities

The Resource Centre has a large, multi-purpose space with displays, panels, and audio-visual materials illustrating the history of the mountain and its people. It is used for group welcomes, meetings, and workshops. There are tea-making facilities and toilets. (The Resource Centre can be hired by community groups. Contact our staff for further information).

The Office Building can be found just inside the main gates of MMEC. Our staff are based here.

In the Mara Kai / Traditional Food Garden, visitors can sometimes see traditional Maori vegetables being grown.

The Mara Rongoa / Medicinal Garden contains a collection of native plants with labels explaining how they have been used by Maori as medicine.

The Children's Nature Park has a rich variety of native plants, a worm farm and a striking sculpture of a giant weta.

The brick Pumphouse was built in 1932 and pumped water from a well up to a reservoir (since removed) on top of Mangere Mountain. (The Pumphouse is not accessible at present.)  

Toitu te Whenua Community Gardens are hosted by MMEC for the wider community and provide an excellent complement to the Traditional Food Garden and the Medicinal Garden.

Tawhiao's Cottage is where Tawhiao, the second Maori king, lived when staying in Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland). The cottage will soon be moved to MMEC from its present location on the north side of the mountain.

How the Centre was established

In 1995, a development accord called 'Te Mana o Te Maunga o Mangere' was signed. This formalised the commitment of the local iwi (tribe) Te Wai-o-Hua, Department of Conservation, Manukau City Council and Auckland Regional Council to work together to ensure the protection of Mangere Mountain for the community. The commitment to this unique Accord partnership, founded in the spirit of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi), led to the realisation of the community's original vision of an education centre.

The Mangere Mountain Education Trust was established in 2002, and the MMEC opened its doors at 100 Coronation Road, Mangere Bridge, Auckland in 2003 on the site of a Manukau City Council works depot. 

Our Vision

The Centre was created through the efforts of local people who were passionate about the mountain, who wanted to protect it, and to share its stories with the communities. We remain committed to restoring, re-enacting, and strengthening our cultural heritage and history. We see the Centre as a portal or 'knowlege gateway', giving first hand access to Mangere Mountain and to its rich cultural heritage, archaeology, history, geology, and mythology. We have striven to make the Centre a "living museum" (providing interaction with the past) in which the community preserves, interprets and manages its own heritage.

Mangere Mountain Education Trust

The Mangere Mountain Education Trust (Trust) was established in 2002 to govern the Centre. The Trust is made up of eight members; two representatives were nominated by each of the Accord partners: Te Wai-o-Hua Trust, Manukau City Council, Auckland Regional Council and Department of Conservation.
 

The key objectives of the Trust are to:
 

  • Undertake and facilitate the study of Mangere Mountain and its related environs. This includes its natural, historic and cultural values (both before and after European settlement) and the mountain's spiritual significance to Tangata Whenua;

  • Provide environmental and bicultural education programmes for young people and the wider community about Mangere Mountain and its related environs;

  • Make resources relating to Mangere Mountain, and its related environs available to teachers, students and other interested members of the public; and to

  • Help to protect and conserve Mangere Mountain.

 

The Trust administers the MMEC in pursuit of these objectives.
 

Who we are

Trustees:

  •  Hemi Dale - Chairperson

  •  Karen Wilson - Vice Chairperson

  •  Dr. Harry Allen

  •  Gwen Bull

  •  Ian Lawlor

  •  Sue McLachlan

  •  Karen Matata

  •  Janice Roberts

 Staff:

  • Moana Waa - Co-ordinator

  • Triani Edmonds - Administrator

  • Raewyn Petrie - Cleaner