Mataatua wharenui is the most travelled M'ori meeting house in the country. Built in 1875, it was taken to Australia, London and Otago before being returned to Whakat'ne after more than a century away. The story of Mataatua is part of the story of the desecration of Ng'ti Awa by the Crown and the fight of the people to regain their sovereignty. Following the confiscation of Ng'ti Awa land in the 1860s and the devastation to the people of Ng'ti Awa, building a wharenui was proposed as a way to reunite Ng'ti Awa. The result was Mataatua, a magnificent wharenui, honoring the people, their history and whakapapa, and the skills of the craftspeople, and establishing a living marae.