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August 11, 2025
August 12, 2025
Last month, the Ignite team spent two days and one night at Te Noho Kōtahitanga Marae, participating in our second Tahuna te Ahi Wānanga, an experience that continues to influence how we think, collaborate, and design.
Matekitātahi and Matangireia facilitating a kōrero on Māori architecture
Led by our Pou Whirinaki, Kapotai Marino, this wānanga deepened our collective understanding of Te Ao Māori and how its values can be woven meaningfully into our practice. It marked an important step in building an ongoing relationship with mātauranga Māori – one that is active, evolving, and at the heart of our professional journey.
The wānanga opened with a pōwhiri, grounding us in kawa and tikanga, and setting a tone of respect and shared purpose for what followed: a series of powerful sessions that invited reflection, challenged our assumptions, and offered new ways of seeing and doing.
• Wero – Stages of the Challenge with Wiremu Tai Tin
Encouraged us to see challenge not as conflict, but as a space for growth – one that calls for openness, courage, and transformation.
• Mātai Tohu – Observing Environmental Phenomena with Chrissy Hilton
Reframed the environment (te taiao) as an active teacher and collaborator, reinforcing kaitiakitanga as a guiding design principle.
• Te Noho Kōtahitanga Marae with Hōhepa Renata
Offered deep insights into the wharenui Ngākau Māhaki – its stories, symbolism, and significance – enriching our understanding of place, history, and people.
• Ignite Kaupapa Māori Handbook Workshop with Kapotai Marino
Introduced accessible frameworks that help integrate Te Ao Māori thinking throughout every stage of the design process.
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi with Darryn Ooi
Positioned Te Tiriti as a living foundation for our responsibilities and partnerships, guiding how we show up in communities and workplaces across Aotearoa.
• Hoahoanga Māori (Māori Architecture) with Matekitātahi Rāwiri and Matangireia Yates-Francis (Orua Architects)
Challenged us to consider how whakapapa, tikanga, and te taiao inform spatial design – perspectives that continue to shape our thinking on every project.
Outside the Marae with our Ignite whānau
Darryn sharing insights on Te Tiriti as a living foundation
"Ko te puna mātauranga he puna ora. The spring of knowledge is a living spring. Our Māori world, with its rich and diverse knowledge systems, cannot flourish through the efforts of Māori alone. It requires the partnership and shared commitment of both tangata whenua and tangata tiriti. This is why these kaupapa matter. This is Te Tiriti o Waitangi in action, not just as policy, but alive and breathing through wānanga like Tahuna te Ahi.” - Kapotai Marino, Pou Whirinaki
Exploring pōwhiri with Wiremu Tai Tin
This experience was deeply grounding and transformative. As manuhiri, we gained valuable insights into how pūrākau, tikanga, tangata, and whenua are all part of the design story not separate from it. These learnings have become part of how we work, reflect, and grow.
We returned with practical tools and resources including reo, kawa, and evaluative frameworks that now shape our projects and partnerships in real, meaningful ways.
We’re grateful to all the speakers and facilitators who generously shared their knowledge, time, and kōrero. Your guidance continues to influence how we think, design, and connect every day.
Ngā mihi maioha ki akoutou katoa.
Led by our Pou Whirinaki, Kapotai Marino, this wānanga deepened our collective understanding of Te Ao Māori and how its values can be woven meaningfully into our practice. It marked an important step in building an ongoing relationship with mātauranga Māori – one that is active, evolving, and at the heart of our professional journey.
The wānanga opened with a pōwhiri, grounding us in kawa and tikanga, and setting a tone of respect and shared purpose for what followed: a series of powerful sessions that invited reflection, challenged our assumptions, and offered new ways of seeing and doing.
• Wero – Stages of the Challenge with Wiremu Tai Tin
Encouraged us to see challenge not as conflict, but as a space for growth – one that calls for openness, courage, and transformation.
• Mātai Tohu – Observing Environmental Phenomena with Chrissy Hilton
Reframed the environment (te taiao) as an active teacher and collaborator, reinforcing kaitiakitanga as a guiding design principle.
• Te Noho Kōtahitanga Marae with Hōhepa Renata
Offered deep insights into the wharenui Ngākau Māhaki – its stories, symbolism, and significance – enriching our understanding of place, history, and people.
• Ignite Kaupapa Māori Handbook Workshop with Kapotai Marino
Introduced accessible frameworks that help integrate Te Ao Māori thinking throughout every stage of the design process.
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi with Darryn Ooi
Positioned Te Tiriti as a living foundation for our responsibilities and partnerships, guiding how we show up in communities and workplaces across Aotearoa.
• Hoahoanga Māori (Māori Architecture) with Matekitātahi Rāwiri and Matangireia Yates-Francis (Orua Architects)
Challenged us to consider how whakapapa, tikanga, and te taiao inform spatial design – perspectives that continue to shape our thinking on every project.
