Imagining Decolonised Cities competition
Victoria University of Wellington in collaboration with Ngāti Toa has launched an urban design competition asking people to imagine what a decolonised city might be like using two sites in Porirua.
The Imagining Decolonised Cities competition, funded by the New Zealand National Commission for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), is inviting entries from around New Zealand.
Project leader, Dr Rebecca Kiddle from Victoria’s School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences explains the decolonised city concept, saying: “When I think about decolonised cities I think about cities that convey the identity of mana whenua (the iwi/hapū group whose historic roots link to that place).
The sites in Porirua include the entire shoreline of the Onepoto arm of the Porirua Harbour and a papakāinga (housing development) site.
The judging panel is made up of eight people from a range of different fields, including award-winning Aboriginal architect Kevin O’Brien and architect and host of Three's Grand Designs New Zealand Chris Moller.
The competition includes a first place prize of $5,000, as well as runner up and highly commended prizes. The competition is open to both individuals and teams of up to four members, with submissions closing Tuesday 9 May 2017.
Further support for the project and prizes has been provided by Te Puna Mātauranga Education Programme: Ngāti Toa, Housing New Zealand, Peter and Sue Dow, Porirua City Council, Aotea College, Mana College and news website Architecture Now.
The competition is part of a wider research project at Victoria which looks at what decolonisation means to New Zealanders in relation to how their cities look and feel.
For more information visit www.idcities.co.nz.