Integrating Indigenous Processes in Design

Concept for the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre (above) and Warren and Mahoney’s recent hire, Whare Timu (below).

Daryl Maguire shares his views about the importance of leading with an inclusive design process

It’s no secret New Zealand is admired across the globe as a leading example of a bicultural society. Its rich Maori culture, visually depicted across key national icons and brought to a hair-raising crescendo when its world-famous rugby team, the All Blacks, proudly stare down even the most formidable opposing teams.

New Zealand’s cultural integration has become an admirable example to aspire to. Both on the sporting field, and visually displayed at its impressive arenas and facilities that showcase athletic prowess.

As we increasingly look to celebrate and integrate the practices and richness of our indigenous and First Nations cultures into our places of play, Warren and Mahoney’s recent hire, Whare Timu - a highly qualified architect, who is also a dedicated expert in indigenous design and bestpractice cultural integration - attaches specific importance to inclusive design processes.

We are using our experience in New Zealand to build a blueprint to connect sport and recreation projects back to the original guardians of the lands in all countries in which we operates.

With projects like the Northcote Aquatic Recreation Centre (NARC) in progress in Melbourne, we are leaning heavily upon Kiwi learnings and successes to deliver a facility that centres on celebrating indigenous culture and valuable sustainable practices.

Not just satisfied with its impressive track record of integration with local iwi (regional tribes) in New Zealand, we bolstered our existing cultural code of conduct with the hiring of Timu. Timu’s iwi (Maori social units) is Tuwharetoa and he comes from Waihaha on the Western Bay of the Lake Taupo in the central North Island region of New Zealand.

Having practiced architecture for the past 15 years, he is excited to join the Warren and Mahoney family to help lead and build on its cultural framework for the practice.

His background working with the government and iwi, from housing right through to government workplace strategy and commercial fit outs, has included working with local iwi across the country to build on their aspirations around papakainga

Concept for the new Dunedin Hospital (above) and Te Matakirea (below).

(new housing built on ancestral land) and more generational housing.

To create a solid framework around this bicultural integration, Warren and Mahoney set up its own advanced cultural design unit Te Matakirea in 2017 – which Timu will only continue to help grow. The name comes from the Maori translation of the sharp end of the spear - the driving force.

Te Matakirea was established to provide a Maori-led framework to bring in other Maori influences and expertise to create authentic connections with key stakeholders that can and should inform all community projects.

It aims to have a focus on delivering outcomes for all people; creating positive impact through design across all the communities the practice operates within.

Recent project examples led by this process include the Tamaki Regeneration Project; the Dunedin Hospital; and the Massey University Library in Palmerston North - and this will expand to NARC in Melbourne. However, given its inherently Maori roots, Te Matakirea is not designed to be a ‘one size fits’ all for other countries Warren and Mahoney works in; quite the opposite.

Timu explains “our experience in working with iwi/indigenous peoples extends to finding relevance in international markets - including the work that we’re doing in Australia and Pacific Islands, such as Tonga and Fiji.”

If you go overseas, we talk about our culture and the gems of kapa haka, and the gems of carving and the art that is passed on, we do this through design anyway. In terms of indigenous culture, we have the provenance to make a positive impact and being part of the Pacific Rim and being part of a country that has a treaty, they are wanting to learn and converse with us.

Timu adds “this framework will provide a guideline on how to be able to work with all our practitioners and help provide a base line of support with all our projects that have cultural dimensions in other parts of the world.

“It’s about coming up with ways that can help create ownership for indigenous and First Nation peoples alongside the stakeholders and the wider communities to truly enrich project outcomes. They will celebrate history and be a source of pride for all.

“We want to allow everyone to co-decide the aspirations of the project, and the methodology of the project. From there we take that and turn it into a functional brief that will be reflected in the design outcomes.” Melbourne-based Daryl Maguire is Principal with Pacific Rim architecture practice, Warren and Mahoney. With a 65-year history and a 300-strong team, Warren and Mahoney works as one connected studio across its seven Australasian locations. Current projects, in planning or construction, equate to a combined value of $1.8 billion across residential, tertiary, commercial, sports and civic sectors in Australia.