Te kaitiaki = The guardian

Abstract

RESEARCH QUESTION How can regenerative design practices informed by Mātauranga Rongowhakaata inform the design of an awa based kaitiaki hub in Manutuke, Gisborne?

ABSTRACT Ka ora te wai, Ka ora te whenua. Ka ora te whenua, Ka ora te tangata. If the water is healthy, the land will be nourished. If the land is nourished, the people will be provided for.

For years many architects and academics have worked hard to ensure architecture helps sustain and rebuild the natural ecosystems and surrounding environment of a building site as well as minimizing its carbon footprint; today this is described as regenerative architecture. As we strive towards creating regenerative architecture and researching building practices that benefit the environment, we must take a step backwards into the past of Aotearoa, to a time where the built environment did not purely take from Papatūānuku, but also gave back. This was before the colonization of Aotearoa when indigenous Māori building styles prevailed.

For many Māori people, their sense of belonging stems from their connection to the whenua and iwi that they whakapapa to. Our traditions and stories have been passed down from generation to generation so that Te Ao Māori can never be forgotten, however, colonisation caused significant land, culture and language loss, and as a result we have also lost our rituals that protect and respect our whenua. The reverence and acclaim that our people once had for ngā atua o te whenua and taniwha has diminished, and the tales of them have become nothing more than myths and legends. As a result, land is often no longer protected through traditional practices, and some cultural customs have been forgotten.

As well as land loss the largest impact the modern built environment has had on native land is its pollution of sacred awa. This has left many awa stripped of natural resources, and no longer inhabitable for kaimoana or safe for swimming. A large percentage of the rivers in Aotearoa are now polluted, and steps need to be taken towards depolluting the awa whilst also preventing future pollution.

This project aims to create a connection between regenerative architecture and te Ao Māori through researching ngā atua Māori, stories of taniwha and ancient practices unique to Rongowhakaata. In this research project pūrakau of Rongowhakaata are used as a method to explore indigenous ways of creating a built environment that preserves practices and teaches traditional knowledge unique to Rongowhakaata. By doing this, the buildings should work to protect and depollute the Te Arai River that is sacred to Rongowhakaata and the Manutuke community