Towards a cultural revival
Whare kai exterior render.
West Auckland-based iwi, Te Kawerau ā Maki, is soon to be re-established on its whenua at Te Henga Bethells Beach.
Having suffered firstly during the 1820s’ musket raids and then again during colonisation — the Crown had acquired most of West Auckland by 1854 — the iwi was left practically landless by the 1950s. Its last kāinga and marae at Kōpironui (Woodhill) and Waiti (Te Henga) were lost during this time.
The Monk Mackenzie-designed Te Henga Kāinga Whakahirahira marae and papakāinga represents a significant milestone in the iwi’s cultural revival; the project is made up of a suite of both residential and communal buildings, as well as an extensive ecosystem revitalisation scheme to regenerate whenua currently overrun with introduced species.
“The buildings have been designed with an ecological focus, leaving a light touch on the whenua and encouraging renewed relationships between tangata and taiao,” explains project architect Raukura Turei. “A strong emphasis has been placed on resilience in order to safeguard the iwi’s self-determination and reduce its reliance on external infrastructure.”
Te Henga Kāinga’s timber structure and understated steel roofing see it recede visually into the landscape while subtly acknowledging the surrounding Waitākere Ranges and ngāhere, and the moana beyond. Architectural designer Tane Pamatatau says the overarching design emphasis, developed through wānanga with the iwi, is on the formation of meaningful and useful collective spaces that are safe for tamariki and kaumātua alike. “Vehicles are relegated to the site edges, leaving its centre as a vibrant māra of native planting, with meandering pathways around landscaped mounding creating a community hub intertwined with the whenua.”
The marae includes a wharenui, a wharepaku, a whare ako and a whare kai. The wharenui is adorned with rammed earth to illustrate the notion of surrounding the iwi in its own whenua and its roof drains directly to the ground. “This movement of wai highlights the connection between Ranginui and Papatūānuku,” says Turei, “and the wharenui interior traces the journey from Te Kore to Te Ao Mārama through the use of natural light and honours Ngā Rau Pou ā Maki through slot windows that draw in the taiao.” The generous whare kai will enable Te Kawerau ā Maki to practise manaakitanga and host events, with a commercialscale indoor kitchen and an outdoor kāuta and mahinga kai area for preparing hunted kai, kai moana and hāngi.
The papakāinga includes four two-bedroom, singlelevel kaumātua homes and four four-bedroom spatially generous whānau homes, which are accessible and flexible for the intergenerational needs of whānau.
The project received resource consent and completed developed design in 2024. Te Kawerau ā Maki is now applying for building consent and is fund-raising to help realise the project.
