Ngā Mokopuna is a newly opened 3000m2 mass timber building that houses the wharekai and wharepaku for Te Herenga Waka, the University Marae, and teaching and academic spaces for Te Kawa a Māui the Māori Studies dept, along with the offices of the DVC Māori and University Sustainability. The brief was to uplift Mātauranga Māori at the university and undertake the project using the Living Building Challenge.

The site is long, narrow and steep. At three storeys, the building fills the space between the wharenui, Te Tumu Herenga Waka, and Kelburn Parade. Key design ideas are:
- to create a filter to the Wharenui allowing for visibility and protection from the road
- to create a highly connected interior vertically and horizontally, to support the connectedness of the Māori learning community on campus
- to utilise an exposed mass timber carbon sequestering structure
- to support the net zero energy and water goals of the project with a roof design for a large PV array and external planters for evapotranspiration of greywater and shading

Ngā Mokopuna makes visible Māori Studies and the marae. It stands as a beacon and gateway to Te Herenga Waka, and invites curiosity about energy systems, water, and culture. It also stands as an exemplar of regenerative design in an urban context. For all those who worked on the building; consultants, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers, also university staff and students, all have been uplifted and informed about what building sustainably looks like. In this way the project challenges and shifts the BAU approach.

As designed; -170 tonnes of embodied carbon over modules A1-A5 cradle to practical completion (A 110% reduction from calculated business as usual BAU), which equates to -55.4KgCO2e/ m2.

As designed; 1,293 tonnes of embodied carbon over modules A-D cradle to cradle (A 43% reduction from calculated business as usual BAU), which equates to 421.4KgCO2e/ m2.

RIBA 2030 embodied target <500KgCO2e/ m2

Watch the 2 years in 2 minutes update here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wy6ax0RP2c

Awards

• 2025 Master Plumbers 2025 Outstanding Project Award
• 2025 NZIA Branch Award
• 2025 NZIA National Architecture Award
• 2025 NZIA Ted McCoy Award for Education
• 2025 Property Council New Zealand Wellington People Property Awards – TSA Riley Sustainability Champion Award
• 2025 Property Council New Zealand Colliers Project Leaders Education Property Award with Excellence
• 2025 Property Council New Zealand Resene Sustainable Building Property Award with Best in Category
• 2025 Property Council New Zealand Resene Sustainable Building Property Award with Excellence
• 2025 SEANZ Aotearoa Revolve Energy Best Grid-Connected PV System
• 2025 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards Value Award
• 2025 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards Environmental & Sustainable Award
• 2025 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards Gold Award
• 2025 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards National Category Winner
• 2025 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards Supreme Winner (over $10M)

Publications

• Architecture NZ Jan / Feb 2024