Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui
Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi
New Zealand Trade & Enterprise
Jasmax
Workshop E

Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au
I am the river, the river is me

The New Zealand Pavilion explored the inseparable relationship between people and the natural world. Visitors engaged with the Whanganui River physically and emotionally through immersive storytelling, sound, and dynamic visual design.

JCDecaux

He pae kōrero ka puta he kōrero
He pae ātea ka puta he wawata

A speaker's bench produces a narrative 
An open horizon creates a vision

Pae Ātea was a two-year nationwide kaupapa, a public gallery presented across urban environments.The title translates as ‘open horizon’, inviting reflection on identity, connection, and place. Through creative expression and storytelling, Pae Ātea offered a moment of pause, asking us to consider how we are shaped by the environments and histories we share across Aotearoa.

Precinct Properties 
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei
Warren and Mahoney

He mea whakairo e te wai,
E te ringa,
E te rā,
Ka ita i te taiao

Formed by the tidal waters of the Waitematā, 
Embellished by the rhythmic movements of the chisel, 
Illuminated by the world of light,
Galvanised by the natural world

The Downtown Carpark Site Development redefines the western edge of the Tāmaki city centre through a landmark mixed-use precinct shaped by land, water, and light. The design draws on contemporary interpretation of whakairo, using the language of the chisel to carve new spaces for living, working, and gathering. It offers a bold yet grounded identity for the waterfront that honours place, people, and the rhythms of the natural world.

Tauhara North No.2 Trust

Ko te pā tū, he tohu nō te ora
An elevated sanctuary, a symbol of wellbeing

Te Pā Tū is a contemporary cultural experience grounded in the enduring concept of the pā – a sanctuary of connection, identity, and wellbeing. Through performance, storytelling, and shared kai, Te Pā Tū invites all to engage meaningfully and celebrate the richness of te ao Māori and the spirit of manaakitanga.

Ngāti Kuri

Tini rerenga, ohia mano
Many paths, many aspirations

Te Ara Whānui charts a collective course for Ngāti Kuri that is grounded in the taiao. The strategy is represented as an illustrated waka, connecting places of significance and mapping the distribution of effort, care, and intent. On the horizon, ever-present, is Rangitāhua: a marker of origin and return, calling Ngāti Kuri to remember, to reimagine, and reconnect.

Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland 
Jasmax

He tukutuku kōrero, he tukutuku mātauranga 
A release of narrative, a sharing of knowledge

Pūtahi Mātauranga sets a new benchmark in low-carbon architecture. A 50-year-old building was transformed into a world-leading academic hub that emits half the embodied carbon and uses a third of the energy of an equivalent new build. As the highest Green Star-rated development in Aotearoa, it demonstrates the potential of adaptive reuse and achieves major sustainability gains while supporting the University’s creative, educational, and cultural futures.

Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland
MJMA Architecture & Design
Warren and Mahoney

Whāia te ia ki tō ao nui i te ao whānui 
Journey to your world within a world

Hiwa, which replaces the former University of Auckland Recreation Centre, is designed as a world within a world – a place where community is shaped through ritual, movement, and shared experience. The space explores how physical and cultural practices contribute to identity and connection. Drawing on historical, social, and environmental context, it offers a space where identity can be shaped and community strengthened through purposeful design.

Electoral Commission Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri

He mā rae
He mā ihiihi
Ka amohia te mana 

A space of thought
Of reflected energy
And of strengthened identity

Wharenui are the pillars of our tribal identity and living models of balance. They frame our relationships within the taiao, including to Rangi and Papa (the celestial and terrestrial realms), the hunga mate and hunga ora (the dead and the living), and Te Pō and Te Ao Mārama (the darkness and the world of light). The outer form of a wharenui engages the world, while its interior shelters history, identity, and peace. Anchored to the ground and in whakapapa, wharenui connect the past to the future, whenua to sky, and people to purpose.

Ko tā te taiao he whakaihiihi i a tātou me te ārahi i a tātou ki ngā tohu nui o te ao tangata 

The natural world energises and orientates us with the tangible markers of humanity

Tohu are signs – whether environmental or constructed – that mark thresholds, reveal patterns, and carry meaning. In nature, they arise through cyclical shifts: the sun’s position, seasonal change, tidal flow. Designed tohu, including logos and wordmarks, mirror this role. They express identity, intent, and connection. Both forms help orient us in the world, reflecting shared knowledge, and affirming a considered sense of purpose, presence, and direction.

All Whites

Tērā te waewae o Hine-te-iwaiwa, e tau nei ki a Papatūānuku
The deity of weaving’s foot is embedded in Mother Earth

The All Whites cultural framework was developed to strengthen connection by establishing rituals and shared values that ground the team in Aotearoa, whether they are competing at home or offshore. Te Hononga is a bronze cast of a turuturu, a carved peg that holds a cloak taut during weaving. Te Hononga replaces the pennant that is ceremonially exchanged at international matches, acknowledging the mana of all players and connecting both teams to Aotearoa.