Ngā kite hauora nō Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Pourewa Gardens : blending Māori tradition and contemporary design towards a healthier future for Ngā Uri o Tūperiri

Abstract

RESEARCH QUESTION: How can mātauranga Māori guide the development of a contemporary multi-purpose garden for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei?

ABSTRACT: Gardens were critical to Māori survival in Aotearoa New Zealand since their arrival from the Pacific. Spiritual beliefs and ritual practice combined with plant and cultivation knowledge developed as extensive gardens were maintained and protected. Despite the importance of gardening for Māori, neither traditional precolonial nor contemporary gardens for food production and health have been undertaken comprehensively in post-colonial Aotearoa New Zealand in recent times by a Māori entity as a means of sharing their knowledge and practices.

This new venture explores the context of cultural knowledge of environment, nature and gardens which developed over time, in order to create an ethnobotany garden. Adopting a kaupapa Māori, he awa whiria, braided river research, and research by design methodologies, the project sets out to create a garden at Pourewa, Auckland, which includes a nursery, traditional gardens, plants for special uses, and vegetables to feed the local community. Research examined precedent examples of other Indigenous peoples, and the selection and use of plants for health and healing (rongoā), as well as the history, context and practices of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.

The design is for a visionary place to encourage traditional arts, garden practice and knowledge exchange with community and visitors. The new garden will enable leadership and communication of Māori garden and traditional arts practices for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.