NZ Visual Diary - entry 357
Taumata o Kupe
TOA Architects, a Māori-led practice known for integrating mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and storytelling into their architectural designs, was the architectural firm that designed Taumata o Kupe, the central building on the Te Mahurehure Cultural Marae in the Auckland suburb of Point Chevalier.
I greatly admire TOA’s compendium of works but, in my opinion, Taumata o Kupe is their signal accomplishment. The building incorporates brilliantly key elements of Māori story-telling and design traditions. It also stunningly celebrates in glorious colour and form a seminal figure of Māori cosmology - Kupe, the legendary navigator and explorer whose landing in the Hokianga Harbour marked the discovery of Aotearoa.
The narrative from TOA’s website identifies those multi-faceted design elements and highlights their significance far better than I could:
The stories, experiences and learnings of ngā haerenga, the journeys across sea and land in ancestral and more recent times, are an important part of mātauranga Māori. Taumata o Kupe on Te Mahurehure Marae in Point Chevalier, Tāmaki Makaurau, is dedicated to the sharing of mātauranga Māori and embodying the epic journeys of Māori ancestors across the Pacific and within Aotearoa.
Taumata o Kupe opened November 2022 with a dawn ceremony. The building’s sweeping, organic form embodies the dynamism of Kupe’s waka as it sailed towards Aotearoa. The glazing is like a sail with the reflection of the shifting sun and clouds making the building appear to move like a waka across the ocean. The diagonal black wind brace on the front facade follows the form of stays used on Māori sails, and the glass’ inward tilt and angles on the red barge suggest the movement of sails and rudders. Elevating the structure on a platform makes the building appear to hover. 1
Finally, I humbly acknowledge the gracious permission I was granted to photograph the sacred building and offer thanks to the elders present on the day of my visit who invited me to join them when next they congregate at Te Mahurehure Cultural Marae to celebrate community, tradition and friendship.
TOA Architects website
https://www.toa.net.nz/work/te-taumata-o-kupe/