For their latest installation Elisapeta Heta and Raukura Turei have designed a space inspired by the special space Kohanga Reo plays in their lives.
Elisapeta and Raukura are mothers, but they are also change-makers, Māori wāhine changing the way architecture interacts with community and the land.
At Objectspace in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland they have created a room with the play and learning of their tamariki in mind. As busy principals in architecture firms it also reflects their needs as working mātua (parents) to have more spaces that serve the needs of whānau.
The way our built environment looks and feels is changing in exciting dynamic ways in Aotearoa. Increasingly our architecture is in conversation with the communities, their stories and the land they sit on.
Elisapeta Heta is of Ngātiwai, Ngāpuhi, Tainui, Samoan and Tokelauan descent. She is a principal and Māori design leader at Jasmax, where in 2015 she co-founded Waka Maia to advance a Māori design voice.
Joining her is Raukura Turei. Based At Monk Mackenzie Architects, Raukura is of Ngā Rauru Kītahi, Taranaki, Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. And she is also a renowned artist, just returned from showing at the prestigious São Paulo Biennial.
Involving many Māori designers at Objectspace - Pohewa Pāhewa is a series of exhibitions and events considering design within a Te Ao Māori or Māori world context. It's on until November 2.
