The 5th Auckland Triennial

The ‘Te Paparewa ki Tāmaki’ project was offered to 2nd year Bachelor of Architectural Studies and 1st year Master of Architecture (professional) students as a studio option for semester one 2013. The brief instructed students to research and design a ‘Paparewa Teitei’ to be constructed on Auckland’s Waterfront as a celebration of local Auckland Iwi Treaty settlements, with students undertaking individual and group research prior to developing individual designs.

Twelve students nominated to take up the option - five 1st year masters students and seven 2nd year bachelors students. Our student team come from a diverse range of backgrounds - we’re a multi-ethnic, cross-generational team, united by a shared interest in the kaupapa (purpose and goals) of this project.

About the team:

Akshay Shah

Akshay was born and raised in India but has been living in New Zealand for the past 6 years. Coming from a family background of construction and development, he has acquired an interest in the cultural context of architecture and its implications on communities. Thus projects like these involving groups of people are of special interest to him.

Brent Withers

Brent was born in Waitakere in 1968. His whakapapa is English and Celtic but his place of birth has determined a stronger connection with Aotearoa. Educated in west Auckland, Brent has a NZ Certificate in Building from Unitec and has worked as a building cadet, site manager and carpenter (both as an employee and for himself as a sole trader). Brent has an interest and specialisation in the conservation of historic buildings. Brent is currently in his second year of the Bachelor of Architectural Studies program at Unitec, and hopes to move towards completing the Conservation Diploma which is currently being developed.

Jade Kake

Of Māori (Ngāti Hau/Ngapuhi, Te Arawa) and Dutch descent, Jade was raised on a strata eco-community in the Northern Rivers region of NSW Australia. An aspiring architect (currently in her 1st year of Unitec’s Master of Architecture professional program), she is interested in the visibility of mana whenua within the built environment, and the contribution papakāinga can make to the cultural, social, economic and environmental regeneration of communities. Jade is also the media and communications coordinator for Ngā Aho (the network of Māori design professionals) and a member of The Roots: Creative Entrepreneurs design collective.

Peter Morgan

Peter was born in China and raised in Dunedin and is in his first year of Unitec’s Master of Architecture (professional) program. He has previously worked on Rural Studio, another Unitec design and build project; he found working collaboratively within the greater cultural context both an excitement and a challenge. In Rural Studio, Peter was part of the floor team in charge of foundations and transportation of the project components to site, and was also responsible for coordinating the painting aspect of the project due to previous trades training. Peter was also involved in the use of augmented reality to promote the project.

John Myburg

Originally from South Africa, John is an architectural student at Unitec. John has previously completed a 4 year Fine Arts degree with a major in sculpture, practicing first as a draughtsman/graphic designer and later as a professional architectural illustrator on various international projects. John has a keen interest in art and international cultures; hence his interest in the project. He feels both honoured and privileged to be a part of a project that will allow him to learn more about Māori culture, in particular the history and myths that have informed the project.