Te Aranga Māori Design Principles were developed by Auckland Council in conjunction with mana whenua to provide practical guidance for designers shaping the city’s built environment. Landscape Architecture Aotearoa asked landscape architect graduate Jacqueline Paul (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), and landscape architect William Hatton (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Rangitāne, Ngāti Raukawa, Muaūpoko) to provide an insight into how the principles are implemented in practice, and the potential for them to transform planning and policies processes.

Māku anō e hanga tōku nei whare, And I will build my house.

Ko ngā poupou he māhoe, he patatē, And the pillars will be made of māhoe and patetē.

Ko te tāhuhu he hīnau. The ridge beam of hīnau.

Me whakatupu ki te hua o te rengarenga, It shall blossom like that of the rengarenga,

whakapakari ki te hua o te kawariki. And be strong and flourish like the kawariki

This tongi of King Tawhiao (the second Māori King) reflects his vision of a unified collective, nurturing and flourishing together, bringing the skills, expertise and experiences of all people. These wise words are reflective within the Te Aranga Strategy which is a cultural landscape approach to design thinking and making incorporating a series of Māori cultural values and beliefs between iwi Māori and iwi Tiriti.

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