Landscape Architecture course proposes a new vision for significant Wellington site

An exhibition of designs for the transformation of Wellington’s Mātai Moana—Mt Crawford by students from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is giving the public a chance to have a say on what the culturally, historically, and ecologically significant site might look like in the future.

The designs are being displayed at a range of locations across Wellington.

Located at the northern tip of Te Motu Kairangi—Miramar Peninsula in Wellington harbour, Mātai Moana has a rich history as the former site of a Māori settlement, military emplacements, and two prisons. Its strategic ecological value has also been recognised by local community groups, which have started restoring the natural environment.

As part of a postgraduate Landscape Architecture course at Te Kura Waihanga—Wellington School of Architecture, students have been working on a design project that proposes transforming Mātai Moana into a new eco-sanctuary and heritage reserve.

Lecturer in Landscape Architecture Carles Martinez-Almoyna Gual says considering its strategic location within Te Whanganui a Tara, and its cultural, ecological, and social value, Mātai Moana presents an exceptional opportunity for Wellington city.

“Mātai Moana has been at the centre of recent controversy around how it should be transformed. The aim of this project—which has at its core the aim of protecting the land—is to contribute to that discussion by proposing an inclusive design process, where different voices and interests are considered,” he explains.

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The 400-level course leverages off the outstanding work that former Landscape Architecture student Shanika Tuinder did as part of her Master thesis, supervised by Carles. Some relationships with different local community groups started through Shanika’s thesis. Retaking these relationships and expanding them has been a key factor of success for this project.

“Many individuals as well as representatives from mana whenua and more than 20 different community groups have participated in a series of lectures, seminars, workshops, and reviews. The goal has been to collectively design different master plans for the whole area, as well as a wide range of site-specific interventions to gradually transform Mātai Moana.”

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Three public workshops were held, themed around the concepts of kaitiakitanga (managing and conserving the environment), wairuatanga (the spiritual connection between people and their environments), and whanaungatanga (connectedness through shared experiences and working together). A series of site visits, lectures, and seminars were held in parallel with the workshops, and mana whenua and community group representatives attended review sessions of the students’ designs.

Designs have been grounded on site knowledge, mātauranga Māori, community aspirations, and considering community efforts as part of a 30 to 50 year restoration project. Public identity and sense of belonging aim to be achieved through engagement with biodiversity and cultural heritage, integrating physically existing heritage, but also removed heritage, intangible heritage, and memories.

Carles says the project is contributing to the broader discussion about Mātai Moana’s future, with the aim of protecting, restoring, and revealing the value of this special site.

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“As a university, we are an institution that can bring people together, while Landscape Architecture is a design discipline ideally placed to connect all of the various ecological, social, and cultural components that make Mātai Moana so special,” he says.

“I try to connect my teaching through socially engaged practice-based education—this involves working with communities and moving away from the idea that it’s solely the designer and manager who are in charge of the decision making. These types of projects need to be informed by the people who care about the site, so that’s why we’ve done so much work engaging with mana whenua and local residents.”

The designs are being displayed at a range of locations across Wellington. Visit the project website to see the designs, find out more information about the exhibition, and provide feedback on the different concepts. You can also watch this video to hear the Landscape Architecture students explain their visions for Mātai Moana.

The feedback received will be used to develop a final consensus design while facilitating a deliberative process with the local community and mana whenua. This consensus design will go on public display in spring 2024, with the aim of informing the legal process towards land protection and the gradual transformation of the area.

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