Completed under Graham Price, Design Director at a previous practice

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tuia Te Matangi provides immersion education for up to 61 students from Te Kohanga Reo through to year 13. The first Kura in Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka (the top of the South Island), the school opened mid-2012.

 

As well as administration, library, science, technology, multi-purpose & general teaching spaces, the school has set aside a whanau room for family members to use during school hours. Encouraging whanau participation is critical to building a community of Te Reo speakers who can support their children’s learning and the revitalisation of the Maori language in the region. 

 

The final concept was based on the historic arrival of the waka in the Nelson Bays area. The two main buildings represent the hulls, the central courtyard the deck, and the canopies the sails of the waka.