Abstract:
This thesis studies the fabrication of early Auckland, which was a direct result of colonisation from the parent British power. There is no attempt to interpret the fabric of pre-European Auckland, or those structures which already existed on the isthmus as a result of long term indigenous occupation. In a work solely concerned with the process of colonisation, it seemed appropriate to begin 'at the beginning' which was when Auckland was proclaimed capital, on 18 September 1840, and a 'certain portion of land was to be given to the Government by certain chiefs'. Similarly, a natural point of conclusion for this thesis was 1852, when the British influence in New Zealand was lessened by the introduction of Responsible Government, and the first steps were taken towards New Zealand becoming an autonomous nation. As an architect John Mitchell found some seventy years ago, the architecture of Auckland naturally ranges itself under five heads. As he says, an attempt to deal with these would have to embrace the devotional, the memorial, the civil, the military and the domestic. 'I This advice has been taken on the whole, but the 'memorial' will have to find a place in another thesis. Perhaps 'devotional' covers it in part. As with the various building typologies, some licence has been taken with the term `fabrication'. To 'fabricate' also means to 'invent' and this deception is evident, both in terms of colonial styles and materials, and the official dicta, which often came into conflict with colonial initiative and independence. The fabric of Auckland has been woven on to the landform from a myriad of sources, both in terms of influences and materials.
This 'first' colonial period was characterised by an interpretation of the vernacular tradition, the use of local materials, and an attempt to introduce a fabric which was particularly appropriate to the Tamaki Makarau isthmus.