Te Puia Māori Arts and Crafts Institute: a cultural haven for Rotorua's visitors

Rotorua, New Zealand

Client: Te Puia Māori Arts and Crafts Institute

Sector: Civic, Community and Justice

The objective was to enhance the cultural immersion within the well-established 40-year-old Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, offering a more expansive and enriching experience to cater to the growing influx of both local and international visitors to the Rotorua region.

At a glance

The objective was to enhance the cultural immersion within the well-established 40-year-old Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, offering a more expansive and enriching experience to cater to the growing influx of both local and international visitors to the Rotorua region.

The challenge

Our team was commissioned to join a team of consultants tasked with providing an integrated development of the new weaving and carving schools, interpretive displays and retail facilities in keeping with the existing Marae and geothermal valley.

With a rich cultural essence, we embraced a level of expertise and comprehension of Māori culture. The aim was to create a captivating experience for visitors that showcases New Zealand and Māori culture, free from the influence of commercial pressures.

Our response

We provided full design services including architectural, structural, building and civil. In the completed building, the eight columns supporting the roof of the gallery space represent the eight beating hearts of Te Arawa. The twelve giant columns of the entry structure are an interpretation of the twelve levels of heaven of Te Arawa cosmology.

The intricate stainless-steel mesh enveloping the entrance structure symbolises the awhiowhio, a spiraling journey towards the heavens. Local guides played a crucial role in offering profound insights and understanding of this concept, and visitors consistently describe their interactions with the guides as the highlight of their visit.

A clear path through the formal entry, interpretive gallery, Marae Atea, geothermal valley, schools of learning, arts and crafts galleries and retail areas was designed to give visitors the chance to explore and assess the exhibits thoroughly.

The impact

Since the completion of the development, Te Puia has continued to attract its existing target market (tour groups) and increased its share of the Free Independent Traveller market.