The site where Wellington city now stands previously held several important marae. By the end of the 19th century they had all disappeared as Europeans occupied the area and local Māori moved elsewhere. In 1929 the multi-tribal urban Māori group Ngāti Pōneke was formed. In the 1980s the group opened Pipitea marae in the suburb of Thorndon. It stands very near the site of one of the earlier marae, also called Pipitea.