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Regional | Architecture

Māori TV wins Interior Architecture Award

The new Māori Television premises has taken out the Interior Architecture Award at the Auckland Architecture Awards.

Jury convener Rick Pearson says, “Drawing on the whakataukī (proverb) – He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people – this project carefully weaves the mauri of Māori Television into the building.

"The te aho tapu (sacred first thread) approach is clearly evident in the use of carefully crafted materials, commissioned artwork by Carin Wilson, and the sophisticated organization of the interiors. The building is clearly loved.”

Forty-six buildings from across Auckland and Northland received respective awards at the event held at MOTAT Aviation Hall last night.

Māori Television was up against 119 Great North Road, GridAKL Innovation 5A (12 Madden) and Mason Bros and The Boys.

The East-Tamaki based building was opened in a dawn ceremony in August 2017.

In a statement following the official opening of the building, former Māori Television chairperson Georgina Te Heuheu said the new building has a modern layout, providing collaborative working spaces for staff.

"It provides the space and flexibility to encompass new platforms and technologies to support Māori Television's purpose of revitalising te reo Māori in a fast changing digital environment. The building provides value for money, has access to arterial routes and to the airport and proximity to Māori communities and facilities.”

The 2018 Auckland Architecture Awards are part of the peer-reviewed New Zealand Architecture Awards programme run by the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) and sponsored by Resene. The programme sets the benchmark for the country's buildings and recognises the contribution of architects to their towns and communities.