Te Herenga Waka marae staff and Ngā Mokopuna project managers welcomed around 350 staff, students and neighbours to walk-in visits of the new whare for three afternoons, the week after Te Whakatuwheratanga.

“The walk-in visits have been very successful," says co-project manager Rhonda Thompson. “People are really fascinated with the building and its systems and how different it feels when they walk into it. They’ve been thrilled to see the wharenui and experience the relationship between the two whare. For many it was an emotional experience.”

Ngā Mokopuna has dozens of special features related to its goal of becoming certified through the Living Building Challenge® as a Living Building. These include circular plumbing systems, a roof covered in solar panels, a thermally-optimised environment, and spaces with abundant light and views of nature.

“People love the smell—that is by far the most frequent comment we’ve had. It smells like a timber building, and the natural forms, textures, colours, physicality, and the views to outside make it feel quite different to a concrete or steel building,” says co-project manager Lincoln North.

As well as neighbours, plenty of whānau groups who were in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara for graduation visited the building, along with academic and professional staff.  “We also had a number of consultants from the building industry bring groups through,” adds Lincoln.

“People are intrigued by the materiality of the building. They’re fascinated by the sustainable things that they can understand—the timber engineering and its seismic design, the water and energy systems and how the building ventilates and moderates the indoor environment for comfort.

"In general, people responded to the new whare’s relationship with Te Tumu Herenga Waka (the whare whakairo) and the beauty of the space—the reactions have been really rewarding for those of us who’ve worked on the project.”