Latest news with #Aroha
Scoop
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Māori Art Celebrated For Matariki
Press Release – Go Media A selection of contemporary and historical Māori art will be showcased as part of an 'outdoor exhibition' across Tāmaki Makaurau for Matariki. The Hononga campaign will see works from 25 artists presented on Go Media's Auckland network of 35 digital billboards for the next few weeks. Campaign coordinator Tracey Tawhiao (Ngai te Rangi, Whakatohea, Tuwharetoa) whose art also features on the billboards says Hononga means connection and the exhibition is about sharing the harvest of creativity from a Māori world view. 'As both an artist and the designer of the billboards, I wanted to honour Matariki in the best way possible, with Aroha. Art to me is true honest love. Something inside is made manifest outside of us,' says Tawhiao. 'The Art speaks to Matariki as a time of reflection, remembrance, and regeneration. It speaks to harvest, whānau, and the sacredness of Māori cosmology — but also to our place in Aotearoa today. Together they tell a diverse story of who we are while connecting us directly to the Stars of Matariki. 'It's crucial that Māori artists share their vision and creativity during Matariki. These artworks share our world view on all things called life. It's important to celebrate at the time for celebration. Go Media's Managing Director Mike Gray says Hononga is a strong visual campaign that demonstrates the outdoor media company's commitment to uplifting Māori voices and creativity through large-scale public art. 'We're proud to use our billboards as cavasses to share these incredible works. The exhibition features pieces from well-known artists as well as up-and-comers. 'Hononga is a chance for everyone to engage with these art works while they are out and about. We hope they'll help people to consider the meaning of Matariki, reflect on the year that has been and what's ahead,' says Gray. Tawhiao says the billboards give art space to be seen by anyone and everyone. 'The public deserve great visual feasts and food for thought in their every day. This is a feast for our collective mind, body and soul… all you need is to see. 'I'm grateful to Go Media for making space for Māori art and artists. Its partnership helps uplift our stories, histories and love for our Te Ao universe. 'It's a good vibe when together we can honour kaupapa Māori in a genuine and practical way,' says Tawhiao. Artists involved: Fred Graham Robyn Kahukiwa Ralph Hotere George Nuku Leon Kipa Gordon Hatfield John Miller Jos Wheeler Claudine Muru Raukura Turei Tracey Tawhiao Natasha Keating Tame Iti Rakai Karaitiana Daniel Tippett Rongotai Lomas Ra Gossage Hollie Tawhiao Linda Tuafale Chantel Matthews Vaimala Urale Mei Hill Thomas Kirkwood Charlotte Graham Darryl Thompson (DLT) Content Sourced from Original url
Newsroom
22-06-2025
- Business
- Newsroom
Shared spaces can carve out real social and economic value
Analysis: Despite living close to their neighbours, opportunities for residents of inner-city apartments to talk with each other are often limited to brief chit-chat in the elevator. Apartment buildings have long been characterised by small corridors and a lack of quality common spaces where people can socialise. And this, in turn, has framed our expectations for high-density housing. Our dominant approach to high-density housing aims to maximise private space and minimise shared space. It's a developer-led model that focuses primarily on maximising net-lettable floor area through private spaces (individual dwelling units) and commercial spaces (such as cafés and restaurants), with limited areas for community gatherings. My recent research found the quantity of common space in developer-led housing can be as little as six percent and largely limited to internal corridors and stairwells. In contrast, in collective housing or co-housing designs that I explored in Aotearoa, an average of 20 percent is common space. Similar co-housing designs overseas have an average of 36 percent common space. Why do common areas matter? In short, they help foster informal social interactions that support social wellbeing and contribute to a sense of community. Co-housing approaches, where residents choose to live with one another within intentional communities, deliberately provide communal spaces to support these social benefits. Can we achieve similar benefits in the 'unintentional communities' of developer-led housing where residents often don't know their neighbours? One model of how this could be done is the 26 Aroha apartments in Sandringham, Auckland. Just over a quarter (27 percent) of the 26 Aroha development is common space. This includes a 'rooftop hub' that provides a shared laundry, kitchen, dining table, and garden. This area brings residents together and invites a range of social activities including sharing a meal. Tenants who rent the 13 apartments can participate in the community's management. There's also an informal hui every three to four months that focuses on resident wellbeing. The apartments have proved popular and there is now a waiting list, pointing not only to the attraction this type of development has for tenants but also to their potential economic value for landlords. Nightingale Village in Melbourne has achieved something similar on a larger scale. The development consists of six neighbouring apartment buildings. Each of these six 'micro-communities' has a multi-purpose common room and lounge. These spaces are complemented by outdoor seating areas that foster social interaction and a shared sense of community. Like 26 Aroha, shared roof-top gardens are a feature of the Nightingale Village buildings. Allowing communal use of roof-top areas marks a departure from conventional approaches to apartment design where these spaces have typically been available only to the residents of penthouse apartments. Finding the sweet spot Based on my research, I estimated a mix of 28 percent common space, 70 percent private space, and 12 percent public space to be the 'sweet spot' to achieve a balance between social benefits (for residents) and economic benefits (for the developer). Housing density – measured in terms of both dwelling units and habitable rooms per hectare – will always affect a development's income. But my modelling showed that clever design, such as creating roof-top gardens, can ensure a generous amount of common space while still achieving housing densities close to those of standard apartment designs. As the Nightingale Village model also shows, large-scale apartment developments do not have to comprise a single building. Rather, a series of buildings can provide for micro-communities within the development. My findings suggest 25 households as the maximum size for these micro-communities in a large-scale housing complex. Putting these ideas into practice will help make socially sustainable apartment living a reality. What is clear is that common space does have a real economic and social value. And if we continue to design apartments with minimal shared spaces, we neglect the potential for these communities to thrive and for social connections to be formed. This type of collective housing is not a new idea. Papakāinga are well recognised in Māori culture and are foundational in our country's history. We are social beings and living in isolated dwellings is ultimately unsustainable for the future of housing. The sooner we realise this and change our approach to apartment design, the better.
NZ Herald
22-06-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Most popular Māori names: Aroha, Ariki top the list for a third year
Aroha and Ariki remain the most popular Māori baby names for the third year running. The Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua (DIA) has released the top five names given to kōtiro (girls) and tamaiti tāne (boys) born in the past 12 months. There were 173 girls
RNZ News
21-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
The 2025 list of most popular Māori baby names is out
Each year a tally is taken of Māori first names and middle names given to children and registered with the Department of Internal Affairs. Photo: Supplied/ Whakawhetū Aroha and Ariki remain the most popular Māori baby names for the third year running. The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has released the top five names given to kōtiro and tāne born in the past 12 months. There were 173 kōtiro called Aroha or a variation of the name, such as Te Aroha / Te-Aroha / TeAroha. And 137 boys were named Ariki, or Te Ariki / Āriki / te Ariki. Also in the top five girls' names were Maia, Moana, Anahera, and Atarangi. The other tāne top five were: Wiremu, Koa, Mikaere and Rangi. The tally of names included all that were registered with DIA / Te Tari Taiwhenua between 1 July 2024 and 18 June 2025 - dates chosen to align with the Tangaroa lunar calendar period associated with Matariki, as advised by the Matariki Advisory Committee, DIA said. Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages Russell Burnard said each name told a story. "It's a reflection of whakapapa, identity, and the hopes whānau hold for their tamariki," he said. Great care was taken in compiling the annual list. "We approach the creation of the Māori baby names list with deep respect and cultural responsibility. Each name is carefully reviewed to ensure it aligns with te reo Māori conventions - right down to the structure of vowels and consonants, and the presence of macrons. "Our process includes consultation with kaumātua and final review by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. Through this collaboration we aim to honour the mana of Māori names." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
20-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Aroha/Te Aroha And Ariki/Te Ariki Top Māori Baby Names Of 2024/2025
The Department of Internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua, has released the most popular Māori baby names for 2024/2025. For the third consecutive year, Aroha/Te Aroha/Te-Aroha/TeAroha (173) topped the list for kōtiro (girls), while Ariki/Te Ariki/Āriki/te Ariki (137) remained the most popular name for tāne (boys). Rounding out the top five names for kōtiro were: Maia/Māia/Te Māia, Moana/Te Moana, Anahera/Te Anahera and Atarangi/Te Atarangi/Te Ataarangi/Te-Atarangi. For tāne, the top five includes Wiremu, Koa, Mikaere and Rangi/Te Rangi/te Rangi/te rangi/Te-Rangi. 'Each name tells a story. It's a reflection of whakapapa, identity, and the hopes whānau hold for their tamariki,' says Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages Russell Burnard. Burnard also highlighted the care taken in compiling the list. 'We approach the creation of the Māori baby names list with deep respect and cultural responsibility. Each name is carefully reviewed to ensure it aligns with te reo Māori conventions—right down to the structure of vowels and consonants, and the presence of macrons. 'Our process includes consultation with kaumātua and final review by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. Through this collaboration we aim to honour the mana of Māori names.' The first and middle names featured in this list were registered with Department of internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua between 1 July 2024 and 18 June 2025. These dates align with the Tangaroa lunar calendar period associated with Matariki, as advised by the Matariki Advisory Committee. Department of internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua has published a list of the top Māori baby names since 2013. 2022/2023 was the first year that this list was released to coincide with Matariki, the Māori New Year. To view the top full list of Māori baby names from 2024/2025, 2023/2024, and 2022/2023, visit the SmartStart website:
