Description:

The principal of Glen Eden Primary School in west Auckland school, Donna Soljan wanted to build a fale to connect the students to the storey telling from Polynesia, and also for the school to connect more to its Pacific, and also the inclusivity of non-Pacific communities. It was also the curriculum and pedagogies of the school where this fale has become an instrument for learning especially about New Zealand's indigenous peoples and their whakapapa or genealogies back to Moana nui a Kiwa or the great Pacific Ocean. The fale was designed to be built to serve Glen Eden Primary school for performances and graduations alike, and also its local community to access it during weekends and afternoons. Another key relationship for this fale to be built here in Aotearoa, was the blessings by the local Mana Whenua group Te Kawerau a Maki. Out of this act of kindness, I was able to reciprocate this by having some of the design of the fale gesturing towards Mana Whenua. This was evident through the red 'pou' or post and 'heke' or rafter. There were also local stones that were lashed on the curved purlins denoting the 'Matariki' constellations and how important this was to all of Tangata te Whenua (Mana Whenua) and New Zealand's special place in the south Pacific. In Pacific architecture, the ridge beam, rafter and post are critical and are the cornerstones to this architecture discourse. I was guided by Mana Whenua and their colour choice for the pou and heke, and this also marked the importance of the colour red to this Mana Whenua group as they have stated that the colour of the earth in this part of Auckland was also of a red hue. So this only made sense to paint these structural members red.