Designing alongside Māori: New possibilities in practicing architecture as Tangata Tiriti

Spence. A.T. (2023). Designing alongside Māori: New possibilities in practicing architecture as Tangata Tiriti (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional)). Unitec, Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology https://hdl.handle.net/10652/6220

Abstract

RESEARCH QUESTION How can Tauiwi (non-Māori) architects work as allies while upholding Te Tiriti? ABSTRACT This research project grew out of an observation of the lack of literature and teaching material available for non-Indigenous architectural practitioners who want to support Indigenous sovereignty. Despite the considerable experience of some non-Indigenous people working in this space, their dedication to allyship is a choice they make and has required a conscious break from mainstream architectural education and practice. Architectural education in Aotearoa New Zealand remains tightly bound to Western values and architectural preferences. After 150 years of architectural practice in the Pacific, the profession is only now beginning to understand how the exclusion of Māori and Mana Moana values has limited our ability to produce architecture that reflects our adopted land. While mainstream architectural practice has yet to transform, a committed number of Tauiwi (non-Māori) practitioners now view their work as contributing to decolonisation and are pushing back against practices that centre white views and values as normative and preferable. To contribute to this emerging research space, and to avoid simply reflecting on kaupapa Māori research for Tauiwi benefit, the literature review draws on critical theory and Tauiwi architectural research. This Tauiwi research offers a counter narrative to mainstream architectural practice and attempts to theorise the researchers experience of working alongside Māori within the architectural profession. In response to the literature review, quilting was used as a methodology to process and piece together the wider themes emerging throughout the research. Using the concept of whanaungatanga (relationships), a number of Tauiwi were identified through Māori networks as demonstrating considerable skill and character in their design practice as Māori allies. Eight people were interviewed, with the number of Pākehā participants limited to half this number for a broader Tauiwi perspective. The interviews reflect on participants experience of learning to adopt Māori values in their work, with some requiring a larger adjustment than others. The architectural design project was also identified through whanaungatanga. It required learning and applying a co-design process and Māori cultural values, to develop culturally responsive site planning and vertical housing proposals. Finally, I reflect on this architectural project learning process, how my positionality as Tauiwi and Pākehā required I approach the architectural design process differently, and the tremendous opportunity for transformation and Te Tititi justice facing the architectural profession today.

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Architecture Dissertations and Theses

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