Sydney is no place to build a Māori meeting house – it is disrespectful to Aboriginal people

A Māori marae at Tieke Kainga, New Zealand. Marae embody deep connections to the land and to the ancestors who exercised rights and responsibilities in respect of it. Photograph: LOOK Die Bildagentur der Fotografen GmbH/Alamy

When most New Zealanders hear the term “marae” they think of the typical Māori meeting house.

The angular facade, decorated in red and white carvings, and the open space for the “encounter” where guests arrive in the warmth of welcome, in the grief of a tangi (funeral), or in the uncertainty of a disagreement.