The Drawing Board: Indigenous aesthetic which considers tikanga and mātauranga Māori shaping spaces

Māori professor of architecture Derek Kawiti asks a trio of wāhine toa how all matters Māori can be incorporated into buildings and structures.

In tonight’s episode - the second-to-last in this series - Tere Insley, Elisapeta Heta and Raukura Turei explain how incorporating an indigenous aesthetic that considers tikanga and mātauranga Māori can shape spaces through a Māori lens.

Insley says there is a real conception that architecture is for the few that can afford it, and access to architectural type building is one that you see for generally more pākehā worlds.

The Drawing Board host Derek Kawiti. Photo / Supplied

“It’s important to express who we are ki roto i a Aotearoa,” she tells Kawiti.

“I knew that I could influence the way our cities come together, the way our communities come together and i could see that as being just a massive plus for our people.

“Having grown up in a world where there was no Māori in school, there was no expectation.”

The Drawing Board, an eight-part series, examines the past and present, and what future architectural designs in Aotearoa might look like.

Hosted by Kawiti (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi, Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou), a professor of architecture at Victoria University of Wellington, he leads viewers on a journey of exploration, visiting construction sites and completed buildings.

See the full episodes on Whakaata Māori airing Mondays at 7.30pm, or head to Māori+ to watch on demand.