NAU MAI! ROTORUA PAKIWAITARA WHENUA
Nau mai! Rotorua Pakiwaitara Whenua' an initial proposition for a fantasy storyscape themed park within the Rotorua CBD. This poses an opportunity for a mixed-use apartment complex to provide better access to housing, education and employment within Rotorua.
Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe (Rotorua), land of the Te Arawa tribe. Rotorua, a landscape, that is really more of a "storyscape," resonant with Māori cosmic and social origins, events, and encounters, and an unbounded interconnectedness via genealogies. The cultural roots to the land include narratives, knowledges, traditions, and art that are connected to identity, language, and community. In Aotearoa settlements, Māori identities, ways of life, and traditional practices have been marginalized. Some Māori groups and individuals see loss and isolation in cities like Rotorua. Leaving many to believe certain cities to not to be indigenous places. Although colonial acts may have traumatized the land, it is nevertheless susceptible of healing. Despite being physically displaced, the knowledge is still present through the metaphysical and material state of the stories, legends, songs, and recollections of the land.
This poses opportunities to reimagine and co-create how we think about and practice knowledge, because the land holds the knowledges in place, as a source for us to connect and reconnect to the land and to its occupants. This allows the generation of opportunities to support tangata whenua aspirations for better access to housing, education and employment within Rotorua. To support the long-term wellbeing of those who live and work in this area, enhance development within the CBD to liven up the city. And to activate the mauri by creating regenerative environments within the CBD to support indigenous wildlife and promote biodiversity.
