A new building that’s brought a cultural narrative to the heart of New Plymouth’s CBD has wowed the people.
In truth, it's an old building – but it's had an extensive and meaningful renovation.
The Atkinson Building, as it was formerly known, was a six-storey office block built in the 1950s to house various government departments. But in recent years, the building had sat empty and fallen into disrepair.
Taranaki iwi Te Atiawa was offered the option of buying the prominent CBD site, as part of its treaty settlement.
“It's been a surplus property of the Crown and it's sat for a while. It needed a lot of work,” said Liana Poutu, Chair of Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa.
“We had to decide whether to buy it or not. So, we decided to buy, strengthen, refurbish, and move in ourselves,” she said.
The building has been brought up to 100% of the building code with all asbestos removed and earthquake-strengthening work completed. It has also been made energy-efficient, with all glazing replaced.
As well as being made solid on the inside, it’s been reinvented on the outside, thanks to a steel facade that wrapped the building, representing a cloak.
“Proud is probably the first word that comes to mind,” said Poutu.
“The design is a parawai, that's our word for a cloak, essentially. It's called te parawai Rongoueroa... and Rongoueroa is our ancestress. So, it’s about this building being embraced by her cloak.”
Hemi Sundgren (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Rangatahi) was the cultural adviser on the project.
“We've got a strong history in Taranaki, our wahine are very well known and proficient in weaving, so there's an historical connection, a customary connection.”
“It’s something for us to be proud of. We can start to dream what a future might be.”
'A piece of art'
Murali Bhaskar of Taranaki’s BOON design consultants was the project’s lead architect and said the feeling of being inside a cloak continued inside the building thanks to fritting, or screen-printing, on the glass.
“You're almost looking through a korowai. It's there to remind you that it is around you. It’s like being inside a piece of art.”
The colours of the materials have been chosen carefully to reference the layers of Taranaki maunga.
“If you look carefully, you’ll see the greens – the light greens and the dark greens — the ochres, the yellows and browns. And as you go up to the top, you’ll see the white and blue of the sky and the white of snow on the mountain.
"It’s a subtle reminder of the strong connection Taranaki iwi katoa has with Taranaki maunga. It’s very special.”
And the maunga isn't just framed in the enormous windows. He’s in the lobby, too, with a slice of rock forming part of the wall.
The mountain has been brought to the town
“We sourced andesite from Taranaki maunga. That is sitting in the foyer. So that's quite a stunning connection.”
Bhaskar said there was a growing movement to repurpose buildings worldwide, just as Te Atiawa had done.
He said it had been a special project to work on.
“We are very privileged and humbled to be involved with Te Atiawa as they stamp their identity in the centre of town," he said.
“An identity that has, for some reason, not been that prominent over the years. This is right in the heart of the CBD and worth celebrating.”
Sundgren agreed.
“Opportunities like this for us to reassert ourselves or re-indigenise our space create a great opportunity for cross-cultural dialogue and discourse.
“People will see this and they'll want to engage. They'll want to know more. So hopefully that's what this provides.”
'How architecture should be'
Bhaskar hoped Aotearoa would see more architecture informed by a cultural narrative.
“Eventually I'd like to think these designs will be the norm," he said.
“This is architecture telling stories of community, of mana whenua, this is how architecture should be.”
The finishing touches are still going on, but Te Atiawa has moved into its top-floor offices and is in the process of leasing out other areas to Taranaki businesses.
Poutu admitted the view was distracting.
“There are incredible views from the maunga to the moana, and across the CBD, it's a special place for us."
Reclamation of a prime site
The Atkinson Building was named after Sir Harry Atkinson, who emigrated to New Zealand from England in the 1800s and was the premiere (prime minister) of New Zealand four times.
“It's pretty ironic really where we sit, we are in a building that was named after someone who fought against our people in the land wars,” said Poutu (Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Maniapoto).
“There’s a statue that sits just outside on the reserve area of one of the surveyors who helped carve it up after confiscation. So, for us it really is a reclamation, I guess. All of our key pa sites — we can see them from this building and point them out.
"I don't think that's a coincidence," she said.
'We deserve this'
“My favourite quote of the [opening] day came from one of our kuia, our elders, who said, 'We deserve this. We deserve to have a beautiful office, in a beautiful building in the middle of town' — and that resonated with me,” she reflected.
“It means a lot that they're here to witness it. Because many aren't.”
The building is now named Ngāmotu House and Poutu said it had been well received by the public.
“Lots of people want to come and visit," she said.
“It's a genuine representation of us.”
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