Te Koopuu Maania o Kirikiriroa

Hamilton, Waikato

Tracing Tawhaiki’s legendary skyward climb, the marae sits atop the hill of Kirikiriroa central, in pursuit of the three baskets of knowledge – a narrative that manifests into the walls of the proposal. Three footprints mark the entrance of city and campus, pushing traditional aspects of Matauranga Māori and tikanga through contemporary readings of wānanga, wharekai and administration. This archipelago is informally capped by a free-floating canopy that firms a series of spontaneously shaded outdoor rooms.

The marae draws its name from rich, fertile lands and gardens that linked the network of Waikato hapuu, who lived along the banks of the Waikato awa. Carvings dressed in tōtara, concrete and stainless steel dot entry points.

Te Koopuu Maania o Kirikiriroa

Kirikiriroa, Waikato

He taurite te āhuahanga ki ngā kōrero tuku iho mō te piki o Tawhaiki ki te tiki i ngā kete o te mātauranga, ka noho te marae nei ki runga o te hiwi i waengapū Kirikiriroa. E toru ngā tapuwae e matohu ana i te tomokanga o te tāone nui me Te Whare Wānanga. Ka whakahaere i ngā āhuatanga tuku iho o te Mātauranga Māori me ngā tikanga ki roto i ngā wānanga o muri nei. Kua korowai tēnei hanga ki tētahi kāuru opeope e ahu mai ngā marumaru ki ngā whare i waho. I ahu mai te ingoa o te marae i ngā whenua haumako o te Hapuu o Waikato. Nō rātou anō te whenua i mahi ki ngā awaawa o Waikato. He whakairo tōtatara, raima me te maitai waikura-kore ira ki ngā tomokanga.