Their solution was to lead a group of these students to create a wharenui on the college's grounds. The two men were joined in their endeavours by tohunga whakairo (master carvers) Pakariki Harrison and Mac Bell) and tohunga raranga (master weaver) Hinemoa Harrison. The resulting structure, "O-Tāwhao Marae", was opened on 26 April 1985 and is still used to introduce students to "te ao Māori" (the world of Māori). Although the project encountered resistance at the time, O-Tāwhao is now recognised as an invaluable resource for the college and Te Awamutu community.