Te Iwitahi

Te Iwitahi was designed in close partnership with the Rōpū Kaumātua (the Hapū elders representative group), and as a result, the design is influenced by the creation narrative of Māoridom where the worldly and heavenly bodies and forces of nature are personified by Papatūānuku and Ranginui and their many children.

Each floor of Te Iwitahi reflects a journey through the natural world: starting at the ground level with earth, then the physical environment, then water, and finally the celestial realm on level 3, shown through colours, patterns, textures and room names.

The soaring space formed by the atrium is a modern take on the traditional Marae central ridge post, while also offering a unique gathering space for those about to enter Chambers.

The Rōpū Kaumātua also guided design elements of the surrounding landscaping, with features such as a kāpehu (compass) inlaid into the entrance path, pointing out significant landmarks in the area, night-illuminated celestial screens on the ātea (courtyard), showing constellations visible from the South Pacific and further afield.

The living walls of the building’s external stairwells are planted with a critically threatened leafy vine, endemic to Manawatāwhi (Three Kings Islands).

Above the entrance to Te Iwitahi, visitors are welcomed with greetings from a wide array of languages. This was developed in close partnership with the Whangārei Multi Ethnic Collective, and pays homage to the multi-cultural diversity of ethnicities within the Whangārei District.

Te Iwitahi has been designed for decades of use with high levels of energy efficiency, while also maintaining a low carbon footprint.

Te Iwitahi will be rated through NABERSNZ, an independent tool for rating the energy efficiency of office buildings. The ongoing monitoring of building performance will ensure we are improving energy efficiency year-on-year.

The NABERSNZ tool is backed by the New Zealand government.

Among the sustainable practices incorporated into the building are the collection and reuse of rainwater for flushing the ground floor toilets, 100% carbon neutral carpet tiles, rooftop solar panels, and lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning which is activated by motion and turns itself off when not needed.

A key aspect of sustainability in Te Iwitahi is the ability to benchmark energy consumption. The integrated Building Management System (BMS) will continuously monitor the efficiency of the building.

Outside the building are six electric and hybrid vehicle charging stations, four e-bike chargers and secure parking for 36 bikes and scooters – initiatives to encourage people to be more active, leaving vehicles at home in an effort to improve well-being and help the environment.

Our Disability Advisory Group played a significant role in guiding the accessibility and universal design features of Te Iwitahi.

Fully accessible bathrooms are available on every floor, while the ground floor offers a unique universal shower and changing room facility for adults with severe disabilities, complete with a full hoist system, adult change table and modesty screen.

The customer services desk has a wheelchair-accessible reception point, and the elevators have been built to allow ample space for mobility scooters.

Eight meeting rooms, including the Council Chambers, feature ‘hearing loops’, which allow modern hearing aids to connect and have meetings broadcast directly into their hearing aid feed.

The entire building has level entry access, a key aspect for those with visual and mobility impairments.

Outside of our Disability Advisory Group, we worked with the Multi Ethnic Collective, our Youth Advisory Group, and our Positive Ageing Advisory Group.