Auckland marae Te Mahurehure’s Taumata o Kupe education centre - which is dedicated to the research and teaching of Māori navigational and exploration traditions - has won supreme and best in category awards at the Designers Institute of New Zealand (DINZ) annual Best Design Awards in Auckland on Friday. It follows a top architecture award in June.
TOA Architects, a Māori-led practice commissioned by the Point Chevalier marae to design the centre, was awarded a supreme purple pin for work that raises the bar for New Zealand design and a best in category gold pin for best design in the Toitanga category, which recognises Māori storytelling and artistic expression.
“I can speak on behalf of this year’s convenors and judges when I say we were blown away by the calibre of entries,” DINZ chief executive Cathy Veninga said.
“The winning projects told important, engaging stories and dealt with confronting themes, offered innovative solutions to real problems, and pushed the boundaries of what design can do, whilst showing exceptional technical craft.”
TOA Architects founder Nicholas Dalton (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao) was creative director for Taumata o Kupe, which was officially opened in November 2022.
“1,000 years ago, the sailing waka and navigational technology that brought Kupe to Aotearoa was cutting edge – so Taumata o Kupe utilises modern materials and technology,” a TOA Architects description on the awards website said.
“Traditional Māori buildings are repositories of whakapapa, knowledge and histories. Every element of a tupuna whare tells a story, from the pou whakairo (carved figures on the walls), to the tukutuku (decorative lattice panels), and kōwhaiwhai (painted rafters). They are places that speak of relationships that connect people to people, and people to place. The design of this building is in keeping with this custom, as it depicts a traditional whare Māori in a contemporary and modern way, using innovative materials and methods.”
Te Mahurehure chair Christine Panapa and marae leaders Rereata Makiha, the late Tā Patu Hohepa and Julian Wilcox came up with the original idea for Taumata o Kupe.
“The long overdue recognition that mātauranga Māori is valid in the scientific and Western realms and is encapsulated and proven in this whare,” the awards website description said.
“It is the physical manifestation and acknowledgment of Kupe Nuku, Kupe used nothing but celestial navigation and knowledge of the taiao to confirm his path. TOA worked closely with the client and Matua Rereata Makiha (1 of 5 tohunga that know the ancient korero around celestial navigation) to create the iconic urban cultural community hub.
“This project successfully encapsulates the knowledge and teachings of Mātauranga Māori through visual art and design through a collaborative process between TOA Architects, the clients and key stakeholders.”
TOA Architects won a public architecture award for Taumata o Kupe at the New Zealand Institute of Architects awards in June.
“It is a remarkable result following decades of work and commitment from numerous people and speaks to the determination and perseverance of the Te Mahurehure community,” the judging panel said at the time.