A small lower North Island iwi is set to have a bigger profile as tribal members bless a new community and cultural centre during a dawn ceremony on Friday.
Te Takeretanga o Kurahaupo, the Horowhenua Culture and Community Centre, is based at the Levin Library and is a collaborative project between Muaupoko iwi and Horowhenua District Council.
Muaupoko Tribal Authority chief executive Steve Hirini says Te Takere will give the iwi the opportunity to share its stories with the community.
He the history of a tribe most people know little about will be opened up to both people in the area and tourists.
Mr Hirini says it will reinforce their tribal identity and reconnect their origins with the ancestral Kurahaupo canoe.
The dawn blessing will be followed by an official opening including a mardi gras for the whole community at the end of September.
