Aonui - Co-designing Space with mana whenua

Aonui, the new headquarters for Otago Regional Council, is shaped through a genuine co‑design partnership with Kāi Tahu.

With mana whenua organisation Aukaha and Port Otago’s project architects GHD, we’ve collaborated to embed mana whenua voices and values from project inception, reflecting ORC’s commitment to working as authentic partners with mana whenua, and promoting our shared aspirations.

Co-design is a collaborative process that weaves iwi, architects, and project partners together to ensure that Māori perspectives, values and stories are respectfully woven into the project from the ground up.

Aonui’s building and cultural design integration is a response to place. It acknowledges the whenua (land) and wai (waterways) of the site location and its cultural significance. This connection to place runs throughout the project, from orientation and spatial flow to natural materials and native planting.

Aonui is grounded in partnership. Through our work with Aukaha and GHD, we are embedding a te ao Māori lens into the building in a way that is both practical and symbolic. Aonui stands as a visible expression of our respect for mana whenua and our shared aspirations for Otago.