As dawn broke, the local community flocked together to catch sight of the capital’s new cultural landmark, Ngā Mokopuna, the Living Pā at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

With Ngā Mokopuna officially opening its doors to the community on 6 December 2024, it has brought a taste of what’s possible in the city if there is vision, care and a commitment to Te Tiriti says Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Māori), Rawinia Higgins (Tūhoe).

“As the first living building in the capital, Ngā Mokopuna is a vision of sustainability, infused with indigenous wisdom—a place for people to get inspired and be part of a thriving community. It sets an example to the nation about what can be achieved with aroha, wisdom and care.

“It’s taken many hands and minds to get it to this point, and we’re deeply grateful to everyone who has poured their heart and soul into it—from the architects, tradespeople, artists, gardeners, funders, and supporters, to everyone who turned out to celebrate the opening.”

Living Pā Ambassador and advocate Justice Joe Williams has been intrinsic in supporting the creation of the new marae precinct.

“Ngā Mokopuna is a fundamental step in the right direction for mātauranga Māori scholarship. There is no other place in Aotearoa like this. Ngā Mokopuna reflects a commitment to nurturing future generations. It connects the past to the future. It’s a place for future descendants to find a home away from home—where they will find belonging, encouragement, inspiration, and wisdom,” he says.

As a living building, Ngā Mokopuna will be one of the world’s most sustainable civic constructions, with around only 30 buildings meeting these extremely high standards. It has a cutting-edge rainwater collection system and is net zero in energy, with photovoltaic panels on the roof generating 105 percent of the building’s electricity needs, so it even gives back to the grid.

Aesthetically, the building has also been carefully considered. Designed by Tennent Brown Architects and built by LT McGuinness, its wooden interior features art by David Hakaraia, an award-winning Māori designer and the Deputy Head of Design at the University.

The building will become fully operational in December 2024, and public tours will be available early in 2025.

Notes:

• Ngā Mokopuna is part of the University marae and complements the ornately carved meeting house, Te Tumu Herenga Waka. Both houses are steeped in mātauranga and sustainable practices.
• The new building will undertake the Living Building Challenge® —a performance-based standard that takes a year to achieve. There are seven performance standards: place, water, energy, health and happiness, materials, equity, and beauty.
• The new building will supply 100 percent of its water needs by captured rain, closed-loop water systems and/or by recycling used water. We will treat and manage stormwater and water discharge onsite, including grey and black water. The plants on the side of the building are part of the water filtration system.
• Water consumption will be reduced with vacuum flush toilets and water-saving fixtures and timers. The building uses treated wastewater to flush the adjacent building’s toilets.
• The building will achieve net positive energy—meeting 105 percent of energy needs for the site using solar power, and it will provide onsite energy storage for resilience.
• Functionally the building is very ambitious. Ngā Mokopuna largely uses passive design to get the building working as efficiently as possible, through energy efficient heating and ventilation systems.
• 95 percent of construction materials from waste—over 1.12m kg (1120 tonnes) —was diverted from landfill.
• We have reduced the embodied energy of construction materials in the construction process to sequester more CO2 than our carbon footprint.
• Constructed from engineered timber, the building is a carbon store, sequestering more carbon than it produces in its lifetime.
• The building is designed to emulate the functionality of indigenous ecosystems, provide for wildlife (insects and birds) habitat, and use native plants.
• The design and layout ensure occupants have comfortable access to natural light, fresh air, and visual stimulation.
• The building is 2300m², and is 90 percent compliant with Red List—which prohibits the use of 22 worst-in-class toxic chemicals that are pervasive in the built environment (e.g. chlorofluorocarbons, formaldehyde, phalates, chromium 6, PVC). This required the design and construction team to look at every single material that is used, verifying that a product’s chemical makeup is not harmful to humans or the environment.
• The building is very ductile and has high seismic properties. All timber is locally sourced and locally manufactured.
• Site preparation work began in 2021, with construction work starting in 2022.
• The total cost of the project was $61 million.

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