Papakura Normal School blessing
A blessing by local iwi was the perfect start to our project at Papakura Normal School, where our Auckland Projects & Interiors team is building a two-storey classroom block.
The blessing involved the laying of a kōhatu mauri (mauri stone). The stone needs to be buried at dawn when the first digging of the whenua happens, and will sit directly underneath a kōhatu mata (surface stone) in the entrance as a visible marker linking the completed structure and its occupants to the land.
This process, a type of tikanga, embeds the mauri (life force) of the iwi into the building, ensuring the physical structure remains spiritually and culturally connected to the local environment and its ancestral guardians.
We’re looking forward to commencing the enabling works in the coming weeks on our latest Design & Build project for the Ministry of Education New Zealand.
