SUMMER 2017 49 co-management of projects for mutually beneficial partnerships align with the goals of effective ecosystem restoration and environmental sustainability on tribal lands .
• Kaitiakitanga : The promotion of active guardianship of the environment .
Kaitiakitanga , expressed through everyday environmental activities from the most sacred or tapu aspects of Māori spirituality , to simple acknowledgement of codes of behaviour associated with manaaki , tuku and utu ( respect , reciprocity and obligation to the natural world ) are discussed and practiced during the period of cultural immersion at the beginning of each studio year during the wananga . This is reinforced in the protocol and through the use of design methodologies such as hikoi , whakapapa and oral narrative as the projects are developed and refined . Designs focus on facilitating cultural practice , which promotes active guardianship of the environment by mana whenua . For example design : to focus attention on the relationship between phases of the moon and the harvesting of resources ; to allow for ritual bathing or the burial of whenua to support the growth of new forest ; to provide a nursery setting for oral narratives that tell stories about how the land has been regenerated : or that integrates urupā a nursery and community facilities on high ground in a flood-prone region , to provide security and to draw attention to the cycles of a landscape in flux .
From the NZILA citation :
In its inaugural year , ‘ Te Karanga o te Tui ’ seeks to acknowledge those bodies of work that don ’ t just reflect Te Ao Maori back to the world , but engage and embrace it as essential to its core .
More so ; it aims to promote an evolution of landscape architecture in Aotearoa , crafted with this foundation at the forefront - driving aspirations and pushing debate , all the while keeping its ‘ roots ’ firmly in the ground .
This years ’ winning entry brings these elements together , and pushes forward a path to take its message to new and broader audiences . With a rich integration of cultural values rather than motif the work is compelling , yet humble ; it is deeply embedded and rich ; it is specific and engaged , yet accessible to all .
This is a beautifully crafted and important research project , leading Landscape Architecture at the forefront of bi-cultural design . Its message while robust , can transcend cultural boundaries , to be read and understood by all . �
Glossary :
ahi kā : fire , inspiration awa : waterways hāpai : to support hapū : extended kinship group hikoi : walking and talking meetings on land Horowhenua : a district on the west coast of the North Island . It forms part of the Manawatu-Wanganui Region . Its name roughly means ‘ shaking or rippling earth ’. hui : meetings iwi : tribe kaitiaki : custodians , guardians kaitaikitanga : guardianship kaumātua : elders kaupapa : Māori philosophy mahi toi : artwork mahinga kai : food gathering area mana : power mana whenua : people of the land marae : meeting houses maramataka : Māori moon calendar mātauranga : understanding , knowledge mātauranga Māori : Māori knowledge mauri : spirit moana : seas and harbours Pākehā : New Zealander of European descent papa kāinga : original dwelling areas pōwhiri : welcome ceremony repo : wetlands rohe : border , region taiao : environment taniwha : monster , dragon tapu : sacred , forbidden te reo : Māori language tikanga : protocols tohu : marking urupā : burial areas waharoa : gateway wāhi tapu : sacred areas wairuatanga : spirituality wānanga : conference , lecture whakapapa : genealogy whānau : extended families whare tupuna : ancestral meeting house whenua : lands