Sir Howard Morrison Centre

In 2022, I served as the Cultural Design Lead for the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre in Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand. Being selected by the taumata leaders of the hapū as the lead iwi designer was both humbling and deeply meaningful. This was my hometown—a place I knew intimately, rich with layered histories and multiple lives—and I was fortunate to be supported throughout the process by the hapū. I understood from the outset the sensitivity and responsibility of this role, and the significance the project held for the iwi, the local community, and the council who entrusted me with this work.

I worked closely with Rotorua District Council alongside Shand Shelton, a Wellington-based lead design consultant and theatre specialist, and their partners at First Light Studio. As the cultural designer, my role was to ensure that Te Arawa and Ngāti Whakaue ideologies were authentically and respectfully embedded within the architectural narrative.

To guide this process, I developed a Kaupapa Kōrero document that would sit within the design integration project, articulating areas of cultural significance, the placement and use of traditional patterning within material structures, opportunities for future artistic contributions, and the cultural reasoning behind each design integration. At the heart of my vision was a desire to uplift the hopes and dreams of emerging artists—offering them something that speaks to their creative souls and affirms their place within this living cultural landscape.

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