Warren and Mahoney is pleased to announce the appointment of Whare Timu as an Associate Principal of its Wellington Studio. Whare will also lead Warren and Mahoney’s group advanced cultural design unit – Te Matakīrea.
Whare (Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Arawa, Tūwharetoa) joins Warren and Mahoney with considerable experience working with iwi and communities and has held numerous advisory positions across large scale projects in Aotearoa and abroad. He is a senior committee member and architectural and urban planning specialist as part of the Ngā Aho National Indigenous Design Network, and a Board Director of Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects. He has a deep understanding of tikanga Māori and is practiced in whaikōrero (oratory) and kapa haka (performance).
Warren and Mahoney recognise and acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi as Aotearoa’s national constitutional document and the special place that tangata whenua (iwi Māori) have in New Zealand. They strive to build for the future by learning from the past, and look to Te Tiriti to provide guidance for decision-making, partnership and collaboration with all indigenous partners and stakeholders.
Warren and Mahoney’s Managing Director John Coop says, “We are delighted to welcome Whare and look forward to the valuable experience, perspective and connectivity he brings to the leadership of Te Matakīrea.
“At the heart of our practice is a focus on early, authentic engagement with our clients and communities in order to collectively achieve the best outcomes for each project.
“Te Matakīrea is dedicated to empowering indigenous architecture both in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific and gives our clients tools, expertise and knowledge for the benefit of all our projects. Whare’s appointment further strengthens our delivery of cultural design and engagement expertise in New Zealand, Australia and across the work we are doing around the Pacific Rim.
Whare’s recent projects include the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre in Rotorua, and the award-winning He Tohu Exhibition room that displays our national taonga including the 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Whare says, “I am thrilled to join Warren and Mahoney and lead Te Matakīrea. Warren and Mahoney is ambitious in its goal to weave indigenous and cultural values in every aspect of design, and I look forward to working alongside whanau, iwi, colleagues, clients and communities to progress this.
“I am also passionate about sustainable design as an extension of Te Ao Māori and am a strong advocate for low impact and natural materials. Warren and Mahoney’s sustainability commitments closely align with my own personal design approach.”
Whare celebrates by referring to the whakataukī, “Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua – Let’s walk backwards into the future with our eyes fixed on our past.”
