It Takes a Kāinga

Education is the primary foundation for economically and socially marginalised children to lift themselves from adversity and realise their potential. However, learning environments in Aotearoa are not currently providing children with equal opportunity to succeed and are therefore contributing to the ongoing cycle of adversity. This research aims to highlight the potential for architectural design to make an impact on closing the equity gap in New Zealand’s education system through exploring the question: How could a place-based design framework contribute to creating more equitable learning environments for students in Aotearoa?

The first step in the process is to understand what role architectural design currently plays in facilitating the structured inequity, in order to begin to deconstruct biases that operate through education as a result of colonisation. The key findings highlight the negative implications of globalisation and standardisation on indigenous culture and identity. Acting as a white wash replacing the stories told through localised community and whenua. This led me on a journey of research-through-design to explore the potential benefit of place-based educational design within a small community close to home. In which I endeavour to understand aspects of community, culture and environment to a depth that enables responsive and meaningful design. My goal is to help mend historic ties that have been broken through generations of koronitanga through the exploration of place-conscious architectural design and the impact it can make on students in Aotearoa today.