The site for the cultural facility was originally a safe haven for manu whenua hundreds of years ago, when it became a place of trade and cultural significance. It also bears a history of grievances and hurt, and this project marks an historic acknowledgement, reconciliation and mutual collaboration between mana whenua and Tauranga City Council, in recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The project includes a museum for Tauranga’s heritage collection, an exhibition space, a community space and a civic whare for council meetings and cultural events. These buildings will anchor a wider civic campus that flows down to Tauranga’s waterfront, integrating with a network of cultural, natural and civic amenity across the city.

“This new facility will encourage greater inclusiveness, a sense of belonging and cultural awareness and identity. The museum and library and community hub facilities are expected to have a considerable impact, with over 300,000 and 800,000 visits respectively each year,” says Tauranga City Council Commissioner Anne Tolley. “Of particular importance is the impact Te Manawataki o Te Papa will have on the revitalisation of the city centre, with an expected tripling of visitor numbers, to 5,500 people a day, or 2,000,000 visits a year, by 2035.”

Project principal Vajini Pannila says four design pou (pillars) were developed as a result of an intensive engagement process with the local community and mana whenua to weave a rich vision: “the ‘Ever-Present Heartbeat’ symbolises the beating heart pumping vibrancy, knowledge, equity, togetherness and prosperity into the community; the ‘Ever-Treasured’ narrative nurtures and reveals the rich local heritage, binding together a shared understanding and raising all cultures; the ‘Ever-Responsive Vessel’ is part of the city that will never rest, growing, changing and nourishing a thriving community; and the ‘Ever-Anchored’ pillar binds the community together around a safe place to anchor and flourish.”

The 6000m² project sits above a vibrant ground plane, designed to weave and connect movement in an extension of the public interior spaces. Suspended above this plane, the museum and exhibition spaces form floating, sculptural timber volumes that reference traditional storage vessels, baskets and calabashes.

“The façade articulation on each face of these volumes expresses repetition, rhythm, depth and the play of light,” says Pannila. “This texture continues to the undersides, to heighten the tectonic expression and inspire the curved edges and patterning of the ceilings.”

The civic whare’s jewel-like form and orientation towards the sea, and frontage to the plaza, signal its mana. As the public heart of the precinct, it promotes inclusivity in the processes of governance, particularly for youth, and its design maximises transparency and access in order to dissolve any barrier between democratic processes and the public.

Out of respect for the natural environment, natural terracotta and locally-sourced mass timber are used throughout. Onsite energy generation, natural ventilation and rainwater harvesting further reduce the project’s impacts on the environment.