Te Uru Taumatua

Te Uru Taumatua is the headquarters – and so much more – of Ngāi Tūhoe, the iwi (tribe) of Te Urewera, the remote and steeply forested region to the northeast of Lake Taupo. For 150 years, as Tūhoe people endured the effects of colonisation and economic marginalisation, they maintained their connection to their land and culture and a commitment to self-determination. The iwi’s resolve to go its own way is expressed in this building, in which a large wooden arch symbolising te Tūhoetanga o te rā (the sun at its zenith) frames the tribal chamber. Also accommodating a public library, archive, gallery, interpretation centre, offices and a café, the building was designed and built on resolutely sustainable principles. The timber comes from renewable sources and toxic construction materials were eschewed; water is conserved and
reused, and hundreds of photovoltaic cells provide energy self-sufficiency; and the building is designed to resist a one-in-2000-years earthquake. Social sustainability was another guiding principle. For Tūhoe, the
construction of their new building was a means to provide their people with work skills and employment
opportunities. Embodying the concept of tūrangawaewae, Te Uru Taumatua is, proudly, ‘a place to stand’. (John Walsh, 'Future Islands' catalogue)