Beauty in the eye of the Indigenous

This thesis seeks to understand the virtues of Beauty through the complex systems of Mātauranga Māori. It investigates the potential of Māori philosophy and Art to rethink the way we design, giving visual form and shape to the cultural belief systems and their spiritual ideas. This thesis explores Beauty through a speculative outcome of a Cultural Centre in Turanganui-a-Kiwa/Gisborne (Tūranga).

The aim is to shift our current understanding of Beauty away from the egocentrism of western culture to one that is transformative and understands the multifaceted systems of people, place, and culture.

The purpose is to keep exploring boundaries and work from new perspectives, enabling us to create architecture with more meaning, understanding and depth.