He ara mauriora:
An accessible wetlands walkway
He ara mauriora reimagines a ‘wetland walkway’ into a transformative and multipurpose space that embodies Te Ao Māori values and universal access. Through engaging conversations with whānau, this project confronts the need for a design that intertwines accessibility, inclusivity, and play.
The outcomes go beyond the pathway, including a whare toi (arts studio) and accessible kāinga. The design of each of these three components has been led by our summer interns, Ben, Matt and Oscar.
Project Team
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Dr James Berghan
RESEARCHER
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Ben Siesicki
DESIGNER - WHARE TOI
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Matt Lloyd
DESIGNER - PATHWAY
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Oscar McConaughy
DESIGNER - KĀINGA
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Kathleen Morrison
MANAGER - TE KINAKINA WETLANDS
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Violet Pou
MANAGER - TE KINAKINA WETLANDS
Project Site
The project site, Te Kinakina, is located in Te Kaha in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Kathleen and Violet live on the whenua and have been restoring wetlands on the low-lying areas of the site. The wetlands are the site for the future pathway and arts studio, with a six-unit accessible kāinga located at the entrance to the land block.
(For more information about the wetlands restoration project, visit https://www.poipoia.net/te-kinakina-wetlands.html )
Project Designs
Posters summarising the three projects are included below (with a download link). These posters were presented to whānau at a lunch on Saturday 06 April at Te Kinakina.
(Posters designed by Ben Siesicki incorporating content from Ben, Matt and Oscar’s work)
Where to next?
Our next step is to start preparing funding applications for the full development (studio, walkway and kāinga), and to start developing these concept drawings into full construction drawings that we can use to apply for the necessary building and resource consents.
Keep an eye on this page for more updates in future!