The Living Pā will enliven Kelburn Parade with its cutting-edge sustainable design.
The ground level of the Living Pā is designed as an open space where people will gather, and to connect through to the wharenui.

The Living Pā may not yet be a physical building, but the aspirational vision Te Herenga Waka has for this project to bring its community together is already coming to life.

Alumni, staff, and students have all had opportunities to connect with the Living Pā in meaningful ways over the past 12 months as it has progressed from the design and planning to implementation phase.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Māori) Professor Rawinia Higgins says a focus of the Living Pā is that people from all disciplines can find inspiration for their study or work from its innovative approach to building practices.

“We want all parts of the University to feel connected to the Living Pā. It’s not restricted to those who might be doing Māori Studies or sustainability—there are opportunities for creativity in every space,” she says.

To meet its ambitious Living Building Challenge standards, the Living Pā aims to divert 80 percent of waste material from landfill. Currently, five buildings on Kelburn Parade are being deconstructed to clear space for the new building.

“We’re trying to see the opportunities and treasures that might exist in salvaging those materials,” says Rawinia.

One thoughtful solution is the repurposing of materials from 46 Kelburn Parade into carved wooden gift boxes for our distinguished alumni.

This year’s Distinguished Alumni Awards will be hosted in December, where recipients will receive a taonga housed inside a box made from the salvaged building materials.

In a particularly special connection, 46 Kelburn Parade is the original location of the University’s wharenui before Te Tumu Herenga Waka was built in 1986.

“It’s wonderful to have something tangible come out of the salvage process that recognises our alumni and keeps them connected to us,” says Rawinia.

Repurposing materials from existing buildings also presents an exciting opportunity for members of the University’s art community.

Indigenous Design lecturer David Hakaraia (Ngāpuhi) will be using timber taken from the same building as the alumni gift boxes to carve a piece of art for the Living Pā. David incorporates mātauranga Māori in his designs, looking at how Māori traditions and narratives can be used to express and develop a contemporary Māori visual language.

“David is a fabulous designer. His creativity is phenomenal,” says Rawinia.

“It’s always exciting to be able to support our Māori staff to reach their potential and showcase the practical application of the Living Pā to what is fundamentally their scholarly work.”

Creativity leads to award-winning design

Students are also taking inspiration from the Living Pā. Last year, the project team collaborated with the School of Design Innovation, developing an assignment for third-year students to create an innovative item of furniture that represented the values of the Living Pā.

In response to the brief, student Andrew Roberts developed a table design titled Te Wheke (The Octopus). He says he was inspired by the Living Pā’s commitment to mauri—the respect for life force in people, objects, and environment.

Being able to work with actual clients on an existing building concept really challenged Andrew’s design thinking.

“It was a massive jump from normal uni work, that’s for sure. It was a lot more expectation and consideration into what you’re actually doing, because it’s not just designing a piece of furniture; you had to consider what the client wanted and what the purpose was,” he says.

“The Living Pā and what they’re trying to do with it made me think a lot about my place as a designer in the world, especially in industrial design. I feel if you’re going to be a well-rounded designer from New Zealand, you should adopt Indigenous values.”

Andrew’s Te Wheke design won him the 2020 ECC Furniture Design Award. This achievement is an example of how the Living Pā is fulfilling its mission of He Pā Kaiao, a living lab that weaves teaching, learning, engagement, and research in a culturally enriching ecosystem.

“We always aspire to support our talented student community to be recognised for their skills,” says Rawinia.

“If the Living Pā is one of those ways to support creativity and excellence, I feel like it’s already living up to the vision that we have for it.”

Rawinia says the concept of collaboration is integral to the Living Pā.

“This concept builds on the name of our marae and university—Te Herenga Waka. What it means is the gathering of canoes, the coming together of people. And when people feel connected and strong about an identity and community, it allows each of us to flourish. The Living Pā provides that platform for the whole university to be engaged with the space, and even though it’s not built yet, you can see the knowledge generation that is already coming out of it.”

The unique shape of Andrew’s table design mimics the curving shape of an octopus’ tentacles.
Andrew took inspiration from an octopus’ suction cups in his design by adding circular cut-outs.
The unique shape of Andrew’s table design mimics the curving shape of an octopus’ tentacles. Andrew took inspiration from an octopus’ suction cups in his design by adding circular cut-outs.

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