A new marae set up by the people of Whanganui has become a place where people say they find a lot of love. 
The marae beside the new St Mary’s Church in central Whanganui, has been open for little over six months providing a cup of tea and a chat for around 45 regulars, Monday to Thursday.
It raises enough funds to pay the bills by running weekly raffles.
Visitors say the marae has a serenity about it. There is a sense of healing in the atmosphere.
Visitors include people who have just come out of prison and are looking for some company and those struggling to make ends meet in recessionary times or who simply want some respite from the cold.
The marae has gone ‘from strength to strength’, says one of its stalwarts, Anne Murray.
‘A lot of people come in off the street – people who have nowhere else to go. We keep an eye on them.’
Pictured outside the marae:
Bill Maremare, Kokiri Cole, Doreen Kakarangi, Don Merito, Maria Sutton, Lois Mays Merito, Anne Murray, and John Haami, who is coordinator of Maori Pastoral Care for Whanganui.
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