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Maori meeting house
Hinemihi o te Ao Tawhito (Hinemihi of the Old World) is the Maori name for this meeting house. The Maori people believe it has living qualities based on their ancestral origin and so the meeting house will be referred to as a person.
The National Trust has responsibility for another building that has travelled even further during her lifetime – Hinemihi (a Maori meeting house) at Clandon Park in Surrey.
Hinemihi has immense cultural significance and historic importance owing to her rarity. Though she has received conservation/restoration work in the past, the Trust is again starting to plan for a programme of conservation repairs to address mistakes made in earlier restorations and to ensure her long-term future.
Again, the importance of the cross-disciplinary approach will be key to the success of this future project, which will involve input from the Property Manager, the Building Team, and the Curatorial, Conservator and Archaeology Sections. Consultation with the Maori community is crucial to ensure the cultural significance of any work is fully appreciated, and involvement by Maori artists and craftsmen will also be essential.
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History
Hinemihi was built in 1881 and stood in the village of Te Wairoa in New Zealand’s central North Island, in a district of hot volcanic lakes. On June 10, 1886, Mount Tarawera erupted, destroying the village and killing 153 of its inhabitants. Hinemihi was one of the few buildings remaining, and had provided shelter to numerous people during the eruption.
Te Wairoa was abandoned and Hinemihi stood empty for six years. She was purchased by the fourth Earl of Onslow, who was Governor of New Zealand from 1889 to 1892. The house was dismantled and shipped, with instructions for reassembly, to England in 1892. Since that date she has stood within the grounds of the Onslows’ seat, Clandon Park in Surrey, which became a National Trust property in 1956.
Hinemihi was presumably reassembled by Lord Onslow’s estate labourers. At some point during dismantling and reassembling (Hinemihi has stood at two sites at Clandon) the building was shortened and some of the carved elements were reaffixed incorrectly.
In 1978, Hinemihi was repaired by English craftsmen/builders and re-roofed with thatch which turned out to be a misinterpretation of a contemporary photograph showing her, after the eruption, covered with thick ash. Historically, whilst at Clandon Park, Hinemihi always had a traditional reed roof, although in her original position at Te Wairoa she had a wooden shingle roof, which Maori were using at that period in imitation of new European-style buildings.
Whilst Clandon Park remained in the ownership of the Onslow family, Hinemihi was an important reminder of the fourth Earl and his family’s links with New Zealand. Clearly, in being removed from Te Wairoa Hinemihi has lost her original cultural purpose. However, during World War One she was cared for by recuperating Maori New Zealand soldiers and over the last 15 years or so Hinemihi has increasingly become a focus of Maori culture in the UK.
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©National Trust / David Sellman
Conservation
Hinemihi’s roof is failing and there will be a discussion as to which material will be most appropriate: traditional reed or totara wood shingles. The excellent photographic and documentary records of Hinemihi mean that the form of the roof can be accurately reconstructed.
Twenty-five years have passed since the last major repair work on the house, and the English climate has taken its toll. The insect-infested birch bark saplings that form Hinemihi’s internal roof covering may need to be replaced or repaired. The front of the building, which is the most decorative elevation, has twin carved pilasters (Amo). These have been raised on concrete bases to protect them from damp ground conditions.
However, these plinths retain their original grey colour, impacting on the look of the building, especially in contrast to the painted red ochre of the pilasters. A proposal to paint these in an appropriate colour so that they are visually toned down may be put forward following further research and consultation.
There is a need to protect the building from water ingress, as well as insect, plant and animal damage. One of the most notable defects, especially to the rear of Hinemihi, is the decaying elm planking, rotting from the ground up, and some of which is holed. The appearance of salts on the interior would suggest that this is due to ground moisture. This has, in turn, caused the traditional matting hung on the interior walls to discolour and deteriorate. In many places this planking may need to be replaced with appropriate timbers.
A damp course was inserted in the 1970s but this no longer seems to be wholly effective and the ground levels will have therefore to be investigated. Boards are also being affected by rusting nails, which are failing and causing staining. Appropriate alternatives will need to be investigated.
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Conclusion
Hinemihi is unique, not only to the National Trust but also as the only Maori meeting house in the UK, and one of the few to be found outside New Zealand. Her huge significance makes it important that she is conserved and restored to the highest possible standard, so that she may continue to be enjoyed by visitors and to fulfil her role in the ancestral traditions of the Maori people.
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Publications
Gallop, Alan, The House With the Golden Eyes – Unlocking the secrets of Hinemihi, the Maori Meeting House from Te Wairoa (New Zealand) and Clandon Park (Surrey, England) Running Horse Books 1998.
Rory Cullen, Head of Building, and Nikita Hooper, Administrator – Building, Building Conservation Directory, November 2004.
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