Mana Moana

Understanding the Place of Moana in Aotearoa’s Architecture

Authors

  • Lama Tone The University of Auckland
  • Charmaine ‘Ilaiū Talei University of Auckland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18432/ari29761

Keywords:

Aotearoa New Zealand, Indigenous architectural practice;, Mana Moana, Pacific architects/designers/academics, Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi)

Abstract

Our article is an investigation of the architectural meanings of Moana when located in Aotearoa, as Pacific practitioners, designers, and academics. This article will traverse sensitive topics, such as how Aotearoa’s Pacific peoples relate to Tangata Whenua today and how this is expressed in the built space. How can we navigate Te Tiriti o Waitangi through our voyaging histories, moving beyond the muddy relations within urban conditions in Aotearoa? The phrase Mana Moana is used to refer to the ancestral relationships between Tangata Whenua and the wider Moana, or vast Pacific region, as a positioning framework for our discussions. Mana Moana reinforces connected genealogies of Māori and Pacific peoples across deep time and space beyond the shores of Aotearoa, New Zealand. The article draws on architectural case studies from Aotearoa that investigate placemaking concepts and praxes that provoke, educate, and inspire current and future built environments of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Author Biographies

Lama Tone, The University of Auckland

Lama Tone, a Lecturer at Te Pare, School of Architecture and Planning, the University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau. Lama is also currently consulting on Pacific Housing proposal under Kāinga Ora, the New Zealand Government’s crown entity for housing and urban development. Lama is currently undertaking his PhD.

Charmaine ‘Ilaiū Talei, University of Auckland

Charmaine ‘Ilaiū Talei, a Senior Lecturer at Te Pare, School of Architecture and Planning, and Faculty Associate Dean Pacific at The University of Auckland and Principal Architect at Charmaine ‘Ilaiū Talei Architecture. Through action research, Charmaine works as a consultant at Guymer Bailey Architects and  Elika Consulting Group (ECG). 

Published

2024-01-31

How to Cite

Tone, L., & ‘Ilaiū Talei, C. (2024). Mana Moana: Understanding the Place of Moana in Aotearoa’s Architecture . Art/Research/International:/A/Transdisciplinary/Journal, 8(2), 471–498. https://doi.org/10.18432/ari29761