GFBR9 will be held at the Stamford Plaza Hotel, 22 Lower Albert Street, Auckland City. The hotel is in the heart of the central business district and only a few minutes walk to shops, the Viaduct restaurants and harbour precinct. The HRC has reserved some rooms for the Forum. Details on rates can be obtained by emailing us.

Two Forum Dinners will be held, one at Orakei Marae and the other at Fale Pasifika .

Orakei Marae
A Marae is a Mâori community facility that usually consists of a carved meeting house, a dining hall and cooking area as well as the marae âtea (sacred space in front of the meeting house). The Marae is a symbol of tribal identity. It is a meeting place where people can discuss and debate various issues and is considered by Mâori as a tûrangawaewae - a standing place, a place of belonging. On the Wednesday evening of the Forum, the dinner will be held at the Orakei Marae.
The dinner will be held after a Powhiri (*) to welcome delegates. Marae protocol will be explained to visitors before the Pôwhiri begins.

*Powhiri
The traditional Mâori welcome onto a Marae is called a Pôwhiri. Marae are not the only places where Pôwhiri take place - nowadays Pôwhiri can happen anywhere where hosts (tangata whenua) need to formally greet a group of visitors (manuhiri). Mâori is usually the language used during pôwhiri. While the parts of a Pôwhiri may vary according to the occasion and the tribal area, Mâori language remains a key feature.

Fale Pasifika
On the Thursday evening of the Forum, delegates will be transported for dinner to the Fale Pasifika, which is part of the University of Auckland. In many Pacific societies a Fale or its equivalent stands at the centre of each village. Entertainment will be provided by Tahitian and Cook Island Tamure dancers.

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