But what Deputy Vice-Chancellor—Māori and Engagement Professor Rawinia Higgins is possibly most excited about is the way this building is a physical representation of the University’s aspirations.
“Ngā Mokopuna is a strong manifestation of the key statements in the University’s new strategic plan,” she explains. “It will be a place that enhances discussion, inclusion and sustainability—it’s the perfect realisation of our values and goals.
“The three central pillars in our strategy are Te Herenga Waka, He Herenga Tāngata, and He Herenga Kaupapa—the gathering of the waka, the gathering of the people, and He Herenga Whakaaro—the gathering of the conversations or ideas. These all add up to our overarching motto: the University for a better world.”
Professor Higgins says the concept of ‘Te Herenga Waka’ is about bringing people together and creating community.
“We hope the living building will facilitate people visiting from all over—they might come to see this amazing building, but they will also hopefully take away some new knowledge, too,” she says. “This building is a conversation starter—the innovations it contains will draw people in and facilitate discussion and engagement with the wider community. This is important because we understand that knowledge and learning isn’t restricted just to those in the classrooms—we hope everyone who comes to this space gets inspired and feels a sense of connection.”
Professor Higgins says the living building will enable all sorts of ideas to be shared from a place that centres mātauranga Māori. “Even though it’s an innovative sustainable building as well as a place for academic pursuits, it’s also still a working marae, so we want people—students, staff and visitors—to feel welcomed and connected,” she says.
“We want people to feel like we're not just an institution on the hill, but actually a place they can come to and see what we’re all about. Sometimes people can feel intimidated entering into a Māori space, so Ngā Mokopuna is a nice bridge for people who are curious about the special technologies within this building, to be able to learn about it in a Māori context.”
An ongoing priority of Te Herenga Waka is to grow and strengthen Māori students and staff, and Professor Higgins says Ngā Mokopuna is central to that goal.
“For generations, our wharenui—Tumu Te Herenga Waka—has given Māori something they can see and be proud of. We hope Ngā Mokopuna will take that to another level. Māori students these days are often already very comfortable in their culture, but they also have very strong views on big issues like sustainability and social justice—the living building will help them to explore these important topics whilst being grounded in their Māori identity,” she says. “When it comes to people, ideas or kaupapa, my mantra has always been ‘the more the Māori-er’, and this wonderful new building will make that happen.”
Another concept central to Ngā Mokopuna is ‘He Herenga Whakaaro’, the coming together of the conversations or ideas, explains Professor Higgins.
“The new building is very much strengthening the original vision of the marae and wharenui, which were established in the 1980s. When the wharenui was being constructed, staff and students literally helped put it together by creating whakaaro [carvings], tukutuku [lattice work] and paintings that they would do on their morning tea or lunch breaks—that was when there were some very flexible health and safety laws!” she laughs. “Fast forward to today and we couldn’t let just anyone into the construction site to contribute in that way, but we were able to ask different faculties about how they might be able to use the living building as part of their curriculum or research.”
“Like all universities, we can be pretty siloed at times,” says Professor Higgins. “This has been a great way to crush some of those boundaries and come together across disciplines, and make a meaningful contribution or start conversations as a result of this amazing building.
“Ngā Mokopuna brings to life our values— it’s about people joining forces to solve problems, share knowledge and create community, with a focus on tikanga and sustainability. It’s the ultimate definition of ‘herenga’—‘coming together’—which is something we did on December 6 as we celebrated the opening of this incredible building.”