Abstract:
The discussion of Biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand concerns the fundamental arrangement of cohabitation of land between Maori and Pakeha, deriving from articles one and two of te Tiriti o Waitangi. ‘Article 1 of the treaty recognizes the right of the crown to govern, balanced against article 2 of the treaty which is the rights of hapu to exercise their own kind of mana.’ 1 In relation to architecture, the bicultural discussion rose to prominence in Aotearoa New Zealand in the late twentieth century as architectural designers and writers sought to define the built expression of this emerging bicultural national identity. This thesis argues that due to inherited (and perpetuated) colonialities, uneven weight has been given to the Pakeha voice in this conversation. The project therefore navigates what role if any, Pakeha can play in making room for Te Ao Maori in this bicultural discussion. Through the decolonial lens offered by indigenous researchers such as Lynda Tuhiwai Smith and Marisol De La Cadena, this project attempts to address this imbalance by researching methods of thinking Maori architecture beyond Eurocentric definition. Central to the findings of this research is the application of the marae experienced as a procession, a series of steps in time – a temporal manner of understanding architecture that sits outside of the Eurocentric conception of built form defined as a sculptural object to combat time. This understanding along with the combined knowledge gained through community engagement; conversations with mana whenua and wananga events as well as knowledge gained through spatial research; conducted through the production of images and models – culminates in the design project detailed in this thesis. By attending to the mana of the site and its surrounds, the ‘Decolonial Visitor Centre’ proposed for Maungawhau Mt Eden, attempts to provide an approach for the development of public architecture in Tamaki Auckland, that can make room for Te Ao Maori. The thesis concludes that the role of the Pakeha researcher or architect in this conversation is to be present at the table, but to act as a listener and a willing participant in support of the central indigenous Maori voice. In architectural contexts, this means avoiding broad conceptual brush strokes and paying attention to specificities of site and the surrounding contexts. By Taking Seriously indigenous Maori knowledge, histories and connections of mana, the Pakeha architect can begin to engage in a manner that significantly works toward making room for Te Ao Maori in Aotearoa New Zealand.