Giving a Koha at a Maori wedding
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Topic: Giving a Koha at a Maori wedding
Posted By: MuppetsMama
Subject: Giving a Koha at a Maori wedding
Date Posted: 04 February 2011 at 8:21pm
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Hi all,
I'm an expat Pom and therefore Pakeha with not a heck of a lot of knowledge about Maori customs. We are going to a wedding in a month or so and have been asked on the invite to bring a koha to give to "the tanguta whenua" at the powhiri they are having. I have NO idea how much this is supposed to be! Is this on top of the wedding gift? Is it going to the married couple, or the marae? Is it just a dollar or two, or would we be expected to give 5, 10 or more? Don't really feel comfortable enough to ask the couple geting married, but figured someone on here must have some ideas! TIA! |
Replies:
Posted By: JadeC
Date Posted: 04 February 2011 at 9:04pm
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Wow, tough one. I think I would contact the couple and ask what is customary, or someone else in the family.
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 04 February 2011 at 10:17pm
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from what i have read the koha is given by the person who speaks on behalf of the guests and the placing of the koha signifies the end of the speeches... so if you could find out perhaps who that is then talk to them.
coins would be insulting i think but if all the guests were going to be putting it together before it is given then they wouldnt know how much you individually gave so a $10 would be fine IMO. I am pretty sure the money is given to the marae and used for the upkeep of it. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: kiwi2
Date Posted: 04 February 2011 at 10:27pm
| My understanding (I don't know that much about it) is that it is on top of the gift and is a token amount for the marae etc. Not the couple. We had a powhiri at uni and were asked to put in a couple of dollars for the koha. For a wedding I would assume under $20. I would probably go with bizzy's sum of around $10 but that is purely a guess. |
Posted By: ooEvaoo
Date Posted: 05 February 2011 at 8:13pm
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If the wedding is on a marae...then the koha you are contributing to during the powhiri will go to the marae (tangata whenua means people of the land so therefore the people of the marae), so I would say $20 tops..even $5 dollars would be ok, just hand it over in an envelope to the person who will be speaking on the behalf of all the guests during the powhiri, before you are called on. This would be on top of a gift to the marrying couple. The koha helps pay for bills etc at the marae usually. ------------- 
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