This essay was the winner in the Tamariki category of The Warren Trust Awards for Architectural Writing 2022.
Moe o karu, i a koe e rongo ana i te kupu ‘kāinga’ ka kite koe i tehea wahi ki roto i to hinengaro?
Close your eyes, when you hear the word ‘home’ what place do you see in your mind?
Tera pea ko te whare i tipu ai koe ki roto, tera pea ko te kāinga ka huihui to whānau katoa ki mo te kirihimete, tera pea he whare kua haere koe ki mo tetahi wa poto anake, heoi I karanga mai te ahua o te whare ki a koe. Na te mea he rereke te aroaro o te kupu kāinga mo ia tangata.
It may be the house you grew up in, it could be the home where all the family gathers for Christmas, it might be a house where you have spent but a short time there, but the appearance of the house calls to you. This is because the meaning of home is different to each person.
Mai i te wa i puta mai ahau ki tenei ao Kua horopakina e nga toi ataata i au.
From the time I was born into this world I have been surrounded by the visual arts.
He hononga rereke ta ia Tangata ki ngā whare, ki ngā marae, me ngā kāinga e noho Ana ratou ki roto. Ko te mea nui ko to hononga ki to ake whare me to ake whenua.
Each person has a different connection to the houses, to the marae, and to the homes they live in. The important thing is your connection to your own house and your own land.
Kua kite ke e koe te kai panui kua tuhia e au tenei i te reo taketake o Aotearoa. I kowhiri au kia penei na te mea, he poho kereru ahau i toku ahurea, na ka here atu tera ki te hoahoa whare, ko to ahurea, no hea koe? E pehea tetahi whare e whakaatu i to ahurea? Ko era ngā patai me whakautua e te kai hoahoa.
You the reader will see I have written this in the indigenous language of New Zealand. I made this choice because I am proud of my culture, therefore, I connect this to house design, to the culture, to where I come from. How can a house reflect your culture? These are the questions that the designer needs to answer.
I a maua to Taku tuakana e nohinohi ana i noho ki te whare na toku koro i hoahoa. I rongo i te mauri o ngā patu e karapoti i a maua ngā mokopuna, he whare tera e mihi atu ki a matou te whānau mai i te wa tuatahi ka hikoi ki roto.I enei ra e rereke ana ki roto i te whare Mai i te wa i tamariki au. E mokemoke ana au ki te ahua o mua, te mahi toi ki ngā patu, ngā whariki ki te papa, ngā paraikete, ngā turu e whakamanahau i te whare. Ko tenei te tirohanga nunui ki au, ko te roto o te whare, te harikoa o te whare, te wairua me te ahua o ia ruma.
When my older sister and I were little we lived in a house that was designed by my grandfather. We could feel the soul of the walls surrounding us, his grandchildren, a house that greeted us from the first time we walked into it. These days it is different in the house from when we were children. I miss how it used to be: the art on the walls, the carpets on the floor, the blankets, the chairs, the things that made the house bright and cheerful. This is the main aspect to me: the interior of the house, the happiness of the house, the soul and the appearance of each room.
Ko ngā maumahara tetahi nga mea ka herea e ngā Tangata ki ngā whare, ki ngā wahi, ki ngā kāinga,
Memories are one of the things that people attach to a house, to a place, to a home.
ko te mahi o te kai hoahoa whare kia whakaaronga ki era purakau me era korero, me te whakaaro me pehea au e whakahangai i enei mohiotanga ki te whare nei, koia te mahi o John Scott, te papa o toku koro.
The role of the designer is to hear those stories and that narrative, and to think about how they can apply this knowledge to this house. That is what John Scott used to do, the father of my grandfather.
Maha oku kōrero mo te wairua o tetahi whare, te mea ka rongo koe i te wa tutahi ka hikoi koe ki roto. Engari, me pehea koe e tutuki i tera whainga? Ki oku whakapono me tiro atu koe ki to kiritaki, nana e whakaweawe i te whare, e mohio ana koe kua tutuki i tera whainga mena ka kite koe i a ia e hikoi ana i roto i te whare,a, ano nei kua noho ratou ki reira mo ngā tau tekau.
I have a lot to say about the soul of a house, the thing you feel when you first walk in. But how do you achieve this goal? My belief is you must look at your client, he who inspired the house. You know you have achieved this goal if you see them walk into the house as if they have lived there for 10 years.
Aroa. Ko tenei te kupu nunui o te ao hoahoa whare, tera pea te kupu hirahira o te ao. He mea nui kia whai i to ake aroa, kahore he mea kia whakama i a koe, mena kahore koe ka rata ki tetahi whare he pai noa ki te ki tera, kia waiho ki a koe ranei. Heoi ko te take he kupu nunui tenei e hangai ana ki ngā whare, ko te whakaputa i ou ake whakaaro, hei tauira, ina ko to tino wahi tetahi whare ma katoa, he whare moroki, he whare tino nui hoki, a, ka tae mai to hoa ki te kite i to whare hou, ka ohorere katoa tona kanohi, ki ona whakaaro kahore tenei i tetahi kāinga, ano nei he moro ke. Ko to korua mahi ko te marama i te aroro rereke ta ia tangata.
Comprehension (Understanding). This is the most important word in the world of design, the most important word in the world. It is important for you to stick to your own comprehension, there is no reason to be ashamed. If you do not like a certain house, it is OK for you to say so, or to keep it to yourself. However, the reason this is such an important word in relation to houses is that you get to generate your own ideas; for example, if your best place is a house for everyone, a timeless and very large house. When your friend comes to your house, he could be super surprised; to him, this is not a home, but rather a mall! What you both need to understand is that each person has a different understanding.
Koira tetahi mea pai o te mahi i te hoahoa tera pea ka whakatu koe i o mahi ki tetahi tangata ki ana ake whakaaro he rapihi tou i mahi ai, katahi ka haere koe ki tetahi atu, ka aroha nui ana ia ki te whare, a, ki ona whakaaro ka wani ke ou mahi!
That may be one of the great things about design. Maybe you show your work to one person who thinks what you have created is rubbish, and then, you go to another, who loves the house and thinks you have done a wonderful job!
He mea rereke te tirohanga o te hoahoa whare mai i a koe e tamariki ana ki inaianei, ka
The way one looks at house design while young to now is different.
wareware i te pumotu parekareka i moehewatia e matou i te wa i tamariki,nga retireti ,nga moenga nunui era momo mea katoa. Ngaro.
Forgotten are the joyous elements we dreamed of when we were young: the slides, the huge beds, all those types of things – gone, lost.
Ngaro mai i ngā whare, te auahatanga i whaia e matou, kua rewa atu i te hau.
Lost from the houses, the innovations that we sought, lost to the winds.
Kua whakakapia enei whakaaro i ngā whare ma, ngā mea e ki a nei he “moroki”. Ka hangai enei kōrero ki taku korero a muri. Ko ngā whare moroki, kahore au i te paku marama! He aha te ahuatanga wehi na! O etahi whare e patata rawa atu ki era atu whare, tetahi whare iti, hongea hoki?! Heoi, ko tera toku aroa, ka rata etahi atu ki ngā whare moroki, a, ka whakaute au i tera.
These ideas are replaced with sterile houses, that are called “timeless”. I’ll talk about this later. Timeless houses – I don’t have any idea what that means. What’s so flash about that? Of houses almost on top of other houses, one little house – boring even. However, that is my understanding; some love these timeless houses, and I respect that.
Inaianei ka korero au mo etahi whare hirahira ki au, ka timata ki te Grange, he whare nui tera e noho ana ki te whenua o Haumoana, he whare tawhito, a, toko maha nga ruma, he aripiki nui i waenga e haere mai i te wahanga o runga ki te ruma ti. He wahi rawe mo te kimi me te huna!
Now, I will talk about some other houses special to me, starting with the Grange. This is a large house that sits at Haumoana. It is an old house, with many rooms. It has a large staircase in the middle coming from the section on top to the tearoom. It’s a great place for hide-and-seek!
He waha ataahua hoki, ki te taha o te awa, a, e rongo ana i ngā manu ia atatu. E aroha nui ana toku whānau ki tenei wahi, na he wahi hirahira ki au.
It is a very beautiful place, beside the river, where one hears birdsong in the early morning. My family loves this place; therefore, it is a special place to me.
Ko tetahi mea me maumahara e koe e te kai panui, ko te take e tuhi ai au i tenei tuhinga.
One thing you should remember, reader, the reason I write this paper:
E korero ai au mo ngā mea ka kite mai i oku karu, oku ake whakaaro e pana ki tenei kaupapa. He mea hirahira ngā whare mo toku whānau, na reira he mea hirahira ki au. Heoi kahore he paku aha ki etahi ngā whare me te wairua, he rereke ngā whakaaro o ia tangata mo ngā Kaupapa katoa. Kua tipu haere au me ngā kaihoahoa whare ki toku maui, ki toku matau, kua ako, kua mataki, kua haere ki ngā wahi me te rongo i te autaia, na reira koira te take e whakamaioha ana au i te kaupapa nei, ara ko te hoahoa whare.
I speak about the things that my eyes see, my own thoughts relating to this subject. Houses are special for my family; therefore, they are special to me. However, houses and their soul mean nothing to some. People have differing thoughts on all kinds of things. I have grown with architects on the left and right of me. I have learnt, I have observed, I have been to places where the extraordinary occurred, and this is why I appreciate this subject of architecture so much.
Photo: The Grange by John Scott. By Paul McCredie.
