The towering wooden structure at Tapu Te Ranga Marae consumed by flames had passed a fire audit despite alarming local authorities in the past.
A blaze which claimed the Island Bay, Wellington marae's main meeting house, a huge structure built of recycled wood through decades of labour, was all but extinguished by Sunday evening.
The whānau and trust which call the marae home have vowed to rebuild, and in the hours that followed the early morning fire more than $20,000 in donations were received.
It will likely take years to rebuild, and what will emerge will likely look different from the building Wellington City Council deemed a partially dangerous "death trap" in recent years.
On Sunday evening, a digger turned over the smouldering remains of the building, from which 36 people – including 27 visiting Scouts – escaped unharmed as a fire tore through at 12.30am.
Every fire crew in the city and some from outside were required to extinguish the blaze, with more than 50 firefighters pumping a roughly estimated 80,000 litres of water by 5am. One firefighter was taken to hospital with burnt hands.
Residents of Rhine St, above the marae, were evacuated by police as smoke and embers travelled north with the wind. Some residents were able to return home in the hours afterward.
By morning, the only remaining portion of the building rested on the roof of a small neighbouring whare that was saved.
Stoic but bleary-eyed whānau stood in front of the smouldering ruins on Sunday afternoon, as politicians including Justice Minister Andrew Little visited to remark on the tragedy.
Tapu Te Ranga trust spokesman Gabriel Tupou said the building had passed a fire audit on April 16, ticking off the procedures, protocols and mechanisms in place.
The risk the marae building posed to inhabitants had been an ongoing issue. Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean told RNZ in 2016 the marae had major problems and could uncharitably be called a "death trap".
MacLean on Sunday confirmed the main building had passed a fire audit, and was mostly fine for occupation though parts were off-limit due to being deemed dangerous.
"There had been extensive discussions and changes made to the building over the past few years, to the extent a building warrant of fitness was valid."
Both Tupou and Rongotai MP Paul Eagle, the former deputy mayor, said the marae had been working to address problems with the building
Eagle said: "I actually think they'd turned a leaf and said, 'We want to get this right'."
The Trust had a long-term plan to bring the building up to code, which involved building homes on-site to fund the expense, Eagle said.
Regional councillor Daran Ponter said local authorities would support the community's efforts to continue Stewart's legacy, including assistance with consents.
Tupou said they mourned the loss of the building, named Pare Waaka, built by marae rangatira and founder rangatira Bruce Stewart on "nothing but $25 and a dream".
The marae started in 1973 to uplift disenfranchised urban Māori, and was built over decades by whānau, Māori youth and volunteers out of recycled wood including that from crates within which cars were shipped from Japan.
"We are devastated that a number of our whare have been tragically taken by fire. However, the heart of the marae is the whānau. And we are determined to rebuild the marae with the aroha and support of our community," Tupou said.
A Givealittle page created for donations had received thousands, and whānau received food, clothes and koha at a nearby address.
Marae resident Michael James said the blaze was a scary, close call.
"The [marae] founder's son came and was banging on doors ... I could see it going up, it was clear this thing was going to go up."
His words in the early hours of Sunday were echoed by many that day: "It's a sad loss for the Aotearoa community and the Māori community."
Fire investigators will continue to investigate the cause of the fire on Monday.