News: Albert L. Refiti named as Professor
We are thrilled to announce that Lealiʻifano Albert Refiti has been promoted to Professor in AUT’s School of Art and Design.
Principal Investigator on the Artefacts of Relations project, Rau Hoskins, gave an Ockham lecture at Objectspace, ‘Ngā Marae Auaha – The evolution of marae’. Rau discussed three case studies and what they express about the innovation of marae in Aotearoa. Rau introduces his kōrero:
The design and use of marae have been continually adapted since the arrival of tūpuna in Aotearoa over 40 generations ago with the pace of adaptation having accelerated in the last 60 years with the advent of urban and institutional marae. As the most important cultural institution in Māori society the design of new marae is tightly governed by kuia and kaumātua who generally regulate the pace of change and sign off any innovations proposed by the marae committee, architect and/or tohunga whakairo. While the core of marae in Aotearoa remains the whare nui and associated marae ātea as tapu or restricted spaces, the relationship of these areas to secondary mahau (porches) cooking, dining, ablutions and other noa (common) spaces continues to change and develop to meet the needs of hapū, iwi and hāpori Māori. Commencing with our marae origins in Te Moana Nui, this kōrero explores the development of three particular institutional marae, the Pā at the University of Waikato, the Papamauri facility at the Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility and Ngā Tauira at the University of Auckland as key sites of innovation.
Read more about Rau and the Ockham Lecture series here, and watch Rau’s lecture here.
Image: The Pā, University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato. Photo by Simon Devitt.
