Building from the bottom: Pa Harakeke at Paekakariki school

The new Pa Harakeke (Harakeke garden) at Paekakariki School is part of an ongoing participatory project between VUW/landscape architecture and Paekakariki School community. The project started in 2019 with a participatory design process between LAND 321 and the school community to collectively design different areas of the school.  Different workshops with children, teachers, parents and school community groups were organised. Eleven teams of students developed concept designs that were presented and exhibited.  The school community voted for their favourite designs and decided to develop the Pa Harakake in first place given its cultural and educational significance. The winning proposal was developed by a team of students and teaching staff in 2020 and collectively implemented in 2021. The Pa Harakeke project was selected to be developed in first place due to its strategic location in the school, and the potential to expand Māori knowledge in the education of primary school students in aspects such as the Māori Rongoa (medicinal), Tikanga (traditions, values), Kawa (protocol) and art (weaving). Once it will reach its mature stage, the garden will be used by the local marae, the local weavers collective, and the school community. The garden holds some of the best harakeke across Aotearoa New Zealand (Rene Orchiston Collection), and is complemented by clusters of coastal plants. Intermingled with the garden, different structures will facilitate informal play, socialization, rest, outdoor classroom space and school events. These will be implemented in 2024 as a following construction phase.