Multicultural fāle wins architecture award OurAuckland story

This colourful and collaborative artwork is both fun and functional, providing a place for the local community to come together, to learn and play. The *Multicultural Fāle and Outdoor Classroom* was not only designed to acknowledge the diverse community of Mt Roskill, many local residents were actively involved in the project, along with the artist and architects, mana whenua and local board members.



Tongan artist Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi collaborated with architects McCoy + Heine to develop the multicultural fāle (house with open sides and a thatched roof) design, using his expertise in the traditional Tongan art of lalava (weaving or lashing). The building references the fāle structures of the Pacific with a thatched roof and open sided posts. The lalava forms represented in the artwork include the tuna (eel) and manu (bird), while the fāle itself uses the kupenga (net) form to express that this is a meeting place for all cultures, and as a metaphor for the collective ideas and aspirations of the local people.



Auckland Council commissioned the design and construction of this integrated artwork to enhance the Te Auaunga Awa Stormwater Project. *Te Auaunga Awa – Multicultural Fāle and Outdoor Classroom* won the Small Project Architecture category at the 2020 NZIA Auckland Architecture Awards.

Te Auaunga Awa – Multicultural Fāle and Outdoor Classroom

Colourful elements of art and design help to transform Sandringham Reserve into a fun and friendly community space for families to relax, share food and play in. Artist Katy Wallace took her inspiration from the community's vision for the reserve as a neighbourhood picnic space and her design invites families to eat together and play, and even includes a village green space for staging community events.

The woodland-themed play area uses both recycled and unprocessed materials, giving children a chance to escape into the wilderness. The large paved area spreads out like a picnic rug, defining a dining area with three picnic tables that feature brightly patterned 'tablecloths'. *Neighbourhood Picnic* brings together colour, pattern, texture and activity, all with a feeling of the carefree joy of picnicking.

The park is also home to a pebble mosaic, produced by the students of Edendale Primary School. The mosaic is like a welcome mat from the community for visitors coming into the reserve from the footpath.

Neighbourhood Picnic

This series of stone sculptures helps to share stories of the early stone-working traditions of mana whenua (tribe with historic and territorial rights over land) in the local area. The site is near several maunga (mountains), most importantly Te Tātua a Riukiuta (Three Kings) with its many summits, and Puketāpapa (Mt Roskill). *Te Huinga* is a gathering of peoples, a gathering of maunga (mountain), a gathering of taonga (treasure), a gathering of memories.

There are two oversized toki (adzes), one lying slightly buried, as though just having been rediscovered after centuries hidden in the whenua (land), and the other standing tall. This standing toki also represents the stone Te Toka Tū Whenua that once stood on the slopes of Te Tātua a Riukiuta, which was moved to Cornwall Park.

The additional pieces include a karihi (fishing net sinker), which is about providing for whānau (family), an ipu (water bowl) and a hōanga (grinding stone). The hōanga is made from Hinuera stone and was an important object to help craft the other hard basalt tools. The hōanga also refers to the great whai, Kaiwhare, who brought Hape to Puketāpapa.

Te Huinga

This striking 3.6m tall cast bronze sculpture has a strong and evocative presence in the Alice Wylie Reserve. Surrounded by a small outcrop of volcanic rock, it stands near the gently curving path between Burch Street and New North Road, Ōwairaka Mount Albert.

To mark the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote in Aotearoa/New Zealand in 1993, the Mount Albert Women's Memorial Committee approached artist Christine Hellyar to create a bronze sculpture in recognition of the women of Mount Albert. Hellyar cast the original sculpture on site at Alice Wylie Reserve, digging a sand mould and adding vegetation and a large basalt rock. The process created a richly textured surface.

After the 1993 statue was damaged beyond repair in May 2022, Hellyar was commissioned by Auckland Council to create a replacement. The remains of the original sculpture were scanned to create a digital model which was used to make the mould for a new casting.

*Ōwairaka* 2024, is anchored in basalt rock, connecting the sculpture to the volcanic rock underneath and the area's long history. Ōwairaka / Mount Albert erupted 120,000 years ago.

Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi, McCoy + Heine Architects Limited

Te Auaunga Awa – Multicultural Fāle and Outdoor Classroom

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